Fire and Frost
by Camryns-Proud-Auntie
Summary: Sesshomaru is stuck in his demon form. Can the love and devotion of one girl change him back? Beauty and the Beast spin-off. Original character. Slightly OOC. Rated M for language. Chapter 18 now up. First story, please review?
1. Prologue

Author's note:

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sesshy-Kun! … But I do own Hikaru-Chan! (Evil grin)

Okay, so I just wanted to say, if there are any Sesshomaru fan-girls reading this who do NOT like reading anything dealing with Sesshomaru and a girl, please move on to another story before you're put through pointless torture. To everyone else, ENJOY!

).(

Prologue

_Pain flooded her body, a sharp, burning, pain that made her want to scream. But she didn't. She couldn't. It hurt too much to scream. The old man dropped her to the ground, wiping her blood from his lips as he smirked down at her. Her body began to convulse violently and finally, a scream of pain split through the air. Shortly after, there was the sound of tearing flesh._

_She watched through a haze, almost as though she were dreaming, as her claws cut through the servant's chest. Blood flew through the air. Her body felt strange… as though it weren't her own. She felt her feet move and the haze shifted. Now she was staring her brother in the eye. _

'_No! Run!' she tried to scream, trying to warn him of the danger… but she couldn't… her voice wouldn't work. Her hands wouldn't lift to wave him away. Then she felt her hand shoot out, heard a sharp, short, cry of pain, and watched as her little brother fell to the ground, his blood pooling on the floor. Her feet began moving again. Her heart felt like it was breaking. _

_She was staring at her parents now… she struggled and fought, trying as hard as she could to warn them. For a moment, a very short moment, she felt the haze lift slightly and she cried out, 'Don't-!' before she was roughly shoved back into the haze. Her parents stared at her in confusion. She tried again, but to no avail. She felt her hands lift, and her world shattered._

_She woke, surrounded by bodies, covered in blood… and trapped in a huge fire. Tears filled her eyes as they fell onto her parents' bodies… her heartbroken sob split the night air like a knife._

_Slowly she calmed down, slowly she forced herself to focus. She stood and began to work. She worked until early morning. Until her tiny hands were bloody and bruised. _

_She'd made sure each and every person who'd lost their life had a proper grave. Her parents… her beloved parents were buried on either side of her brother. She knelt by her brother's tiny grave and placed her hand where his heart would have been. She sobbed again, fresh tears pouring down her bloodstained cheeks. She couldn't feel him any more… she couldn't feel his presence in the back of her mind, making her feel safe and warm… no, now she was cold… cold and dangerous…_

).(

A very long time ago in feudal Japan, there lived a young demon lord, his father, and his half-demon, half brother.

The young lord's father was ashamed of his son's disdain for all living things and decided he must be taught a lesson.

Calling on all his demonic power, the demon lord's father cursed his son to forever remain in his demon form. He could only turn back when he learned to show compassion and love to a living being, and earn those feelings in return.

The young lord, being proud and slightly vain of his beauty in his "human" form, sank into a dark depression. He became even angrier when his father died, taking away any chance that the curse might still be reversed.

For who in their right mind could love a cold, hateful, ugly demon?

).(

So? What do you think so far? (Bounces) Please leave a nice shiny review for me! And please, no flames or I shall call upon Sesshomaru and sic him on you! Bwahahahahaha!


	2. Beaten and Bought

Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru! But Hikaru is all mine! And no, you cannot have her.

Alright everybody! Here's the first chapter! Hope you like it!

Warning: If you don't like Sesshomaru stories that have him falling in love with a girl, leave now or forever hold your peace!

).(

Beaten and Bought

"You stupid, stupid boy! How _dare_ you steal _my _food!" The slave trader snarled angrily at the small, cowering boy who was clutching desperately to a half eaten piece of bread. All the slaves within hearing range lifted their heads anxiously. One slave, a tall young woman with long, fire-red hair, stiffened and clenched her thin, pale hands into fists.

"Wait!" Her voice rose in panic at the thought of the small boy being hurt. "I gave him the food, sir. I-_I _stole it…" she stuttered nervously. The slave trader smirked darkly.

"Punishment," he hissed, moving toward her slowly. He reached out to her with one hand while his other fingered his large, black whip. Several of the other slaves roared in anger. They went silent instantly when the slave trader raised his whip threateningly. "All of you keep quiet or she'll be _beaten _on top of her punishment!" he snarled. He grabbed the young girl's arm roughly and dragging her away.

)…(

She felt… empty. She always did when he 'punished' her… This time he'd given her a choice; let him do what he wanted to her without giving him any trouble, or let the little boy be beaten within an inch of his little life. Her choice had been obvious…

She'd chosen to save the boy.

She pushed herself up slowly, biting back a cry of pain. Her entire body ached… It ached and burned. She glanced down weakly at her tattered and bloody kimono and shuddered with a weak sigh. She pulled herself up a bit further, whimpering quietly at the pain that wracked her body at the tiny movement. She reached over with a shaky hand, picked up a needle and some thread, and then pulled what remained of her kimono off, laying it over her lap.

She couldn't let the others see her in this state. She wouldn't, no, she _couldn't_ break. Not now… Not when they still needed her…

)…(

The other slaves were angry. That was easy to understand…

The men were cursing and arguing about what should be done to protect the women and children from the trader, the children were crying and huddled together off to the side, and the women were trying, unsuccessfully, to sooth the children.

The young woman ignored the adults' looks and pointless arguing and walked straight to the group of sniffling children, kneeling down and holding her arms out lightly, smiling gently.

"Now, what's all this? Why the tears, precious ones? None of you are hurt, are you?" she asked gently, wiping a tear from a small girl's cheek. The small boy she'd protected before sniffled and looked up at her with large, remorseful eyes.

"Y-you… got hurt b-because of m-me… I'm s-sorry." He hiccupped, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks. She wiped his tears away gently and pulled him against her chest.

"Shh, shhh. Who told you it was your fault, dear one?" she asked gently, stroking the small boy's hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the younger men flinch at her question, and she frowned. "Kaji, did you tell Ren it was his fault?" She turned to stare at the young man. Her question rang out over the crowd and everyone fell silent, already knowing by her tone that she knew the answer.

"W-well if he h-hadn't-" Kaji started lamely.

"If we all just look out for ourselves and say, 'well, it _was _his fault', then who will take care of the children and the elderly who can't handle the beatings the trader gives?" Her usually gentle voice was stern. "If we don't look out for each other, no one will, Kaji. Remember that. Ren is a growing boy and the Trader doesn't give us nearly enough food to keep these children healthy. And even though stealing food like he did was a terrible thing to do," she turned a scolding look to Ren, shaking her head at him, before looking back at Kaji, "he didn't know what else to do. He's a child, Kaji. I won't let that man hurt a child while I'm still able to stop him." Her tone was soft, but held the sharp edge of ice.

"M-Miss Hikaru..?" Ren tugged on her kimono sleeve, gaining the young woman's attention. "How did the trader hurt you? Is there any way I can help make it better?" he asked softly, tears filling his eyes again. Hikaru's eyes softened and she smiled, pulling the small boy into a tight hug.

"You just did, little one. You just did."

)…(

The demon snarled at his servant. "What do you _mean, _you can't find more workers?" he hissed venomously, his fangs flashing dangerously. The servant cringed.

"N-no one is brave enough to face the legends of the castle, Sire… They all believe this castle is haunted, and all of them fear death," the servant mumbled, cringing away from his master's fierce glare.

"Then find someone who _isn't_ afraid," the demon snarled through his teeth. The servant bolted.

)…(

"She's too gentle, always treating the others' wounds before her own… And tending to the children as if she were their mother; taking that punishment for Ren even though he _was _the one who stole the food." Kaji growled, standing near a small group of slaves who were watching Hikaru tuck Ren and the other children into bed.

"She's a gentle soul. Leave her be, Kaji," another slave said defensively.

"She's so kind, much too kind and beautiful for this life. She deserves so much better than all of this…" an elderly woman mumbled sadly. The three watched as Hikaru knelt by Ren's bed and kissed the small boy's forehead.

"Good night, little one. Sweet dreams," she whispered gently. Ren reached out and put his hand lightly against her cheek, stroking his thumb along one of the many scars that marred the pale skin.

"I love you, Miss Hikaru…" he mumbled, his eyes sliding closed and his hand dropping to her shoulder limply. Hikaru smiled gently, lifting the small hand and kissing it lightly before tucking it back under Ren's blanket.

"I love you too, honey." She smiled, tears shining in the corners of her bright emerald eyes. "I always will."

)…(

The servant watched in silence as the red-headed slave girl stood and dried her eyes with the back of her hand. He frowned when he saw the slave trader marching toward the girl, a snarl spread across his face. The trader pulled his hand back and struck the girl across her pale cheek, knocking her to the side a few steps.

"You stupid bi-" the trader began, but was cut off when a pale hand came around and struck him hard across his cheek.

"Don't you _dare _raise your voice and wake these children. You've scared them enough for one day. And don't you even _think _about using foul language around them!" she hissed between her teeth, her eyes flashing angrily. The servant smiled to himself.

She was brave, strong, beautiful… she was _perfect_!

"Excuse me, sir?" the servant cried, running from the trees. The slave trader froze, his hand raised to strike the girl again. "I want to buy that girl!" The servant gestured to the girl, still moving toward the slave trader.

"Oh really?" the slave trader asked, smirking widely.

Kaji's eyes went wide. "_N__o_!"

).(

So? You like? If you did, please leave a pretty review! Flamers will be shot, survivors will be shot again and anyone dumb enough to survive that one will be stuffed into a cage with Myoga! Buwahahahaha!


	3. Arrivals and Arguments

Disclaimer: How many times do I gotta say it? The fluffy one isn't mine!!!

Author's note: Well, hopefully everyone's enjoyed the story so far! Many thanks to those who have reviewed! It makes me smile a lot. (grin) A special thank you to **my-forgotten-rose** for her wonderful review! Hopefully you enjoy this next chapter! And I'm so-o sorry it took so long to update!

).(

Chapter Two

Arrivals and Arguments

The servant pushed Hikaru forward lightly. "Don't worry, he only bites if you anger him." He chuckled nervously.

"…I…don't see how that's funny." Hikaru gulped quietly and looked up at the large castle. The servant just moved forward and pushed the main gate open, stepped inside and pulled Hikaru after him.

"Master, I've returned, and I've brought a girl with me!" he called. There was a loud crash and a quiet growl. Hikaru took a few startled steps back, tilted her head back and look up into the angry glare of the large, white, dog demon that had just burst through the castle's doors.

"What the _hell _is _that_?" the dog snarled, thrusting its nose in Hikaru's direction.

"Sh-she's brave an-and k-kind, I-I just thought-" the servant stuttered, terrified.

"She's a _cat_- no.. not just a cat, she's a _half-demon cat_!" the dog howled in outrage, making the servant cringe backward. Hikaru flinched and frowned, unwrapping her long, black tail from her waist and swishing it in annoyance. "And furthermore, she's damaged! Look at those scars! Look at how imperfect she is! I can't _believe _you would even think she'd work!" The dog was pacing now. "Take her back immediately and try again!" the dog snarled. The servant opened his mouth to protest when Hikaru stepped in front of him, her normally gentle eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Stop yelling at him like that! Let him see his family, let him rest and I'll leave on my own!" she cried angrily, her tail lashing violently behind her and her black cat ears flattened against her red hair. "Who do you _think _you are, treating this poor man that way!" The servant gasped in horror.

The demon growled angrily and lowered his nose so he was at eye level with Hikaru. "_W__ho do I think _I _am_?" he hissed.

Hikaru lifted her chin defiantly, glaring the demon right in the eye. Blazing gold met furious emerald. "No one has the right to treat other people the way you're treating this poor man," she stated, her voice a cold hiss.

The dog demon took a few steps back out of surprise at the intensity of those emerald orbs. Then he snarled, "Silence, wench!"

The servant frowned and stepped forward. "Master, your father did say to be kind… maybe it would be best to try doing what your father wished for?" the servant asked quietly, moving back a step when the demon turned his golden glare on him.

"Impudence will be punished!" he snarled, lashing out with a giant paw toward the trembling servant. Hikaru cried out. There was a flash of red and the servant was knocked off his feet. Hikaru winced heavily and shuddered under the weight of the demon's large paw on her back. Her arms were spread over the servant's shoulders, bracing herself to keep from leaning on him. The servant stared up at her in horror.

"Wh-why…?" His voice broke. Hikaru smiled weakly, shut her eyes and pushed back against the demon's paw, hissing in pain when three of the large, two foot claws dug deep into her shoulders. The demon growled in frustration.

"Y-you're h-human… an at-attack like that would…k-kill you." She coughed, struggling to push her way free of the heavy paw and sharp claws. She managed to twist her head around to glare at the demon, her face tight with pain. "P-please. He h-hit his head, let me move enough…t-to heal him." Her expression softened to one of pleading. The demon was caught off guard by the sudden change and moved backward out of surprise, moving his paw from Hikaru's back.

"What _are _you…?" The servant pushed himself up on his elbows and frowned at Hikaru. She leaned over him and gently placed her hand on the side of his head where a small cut and a large bruise were forming on his temple. He saw a faint light out of the corner of his eye, then her hand was gone, and the pain was as well. He blinked in surprise, then frowned when he saw blood roll down the side of her face from her temple. He leaned forward and brushed her bangs aside to see a large bruise and a small cut in the exact spot on her temple where his had been. "You just-"

"I'm sorry you got hurt…" Hikaru said sadly, a tear shining in the corner of her eye. The servant's jaw dropped in surprise. Hikaru stood and dusted herself off, wiping the tear away and holding her hand out for him. He glanced at his master, earning a sharp growl, and flinched. Hikaru narrowed her eyes and glared at the demon. "Stop being so cold. He tried to help you, didn't he?" her voice was quiet but defiant.

"Get her out of my sight! Take her back to where she came from! I don't want to see or hear of her again!" he snarled at his servant, storming back into the castle. The servant flinched and sighed.

"This way, ma'am…" he mumbled, pulling Hikaru around the side of the castle.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to get you into more trouble…" Hikaru mumbled guiltily, staring at her feet.

The servant smiled. "He would be angry either way, dear lady. No reason for you to blame yourself." He pushed a door on the side of the castle wall open and led her inside. "This way to your room, m'lady." he said, still smiling.

).(

"Defying me like that, in front of my own servant!" the demon snarled, pacing back and forth in one of the large, indoor gardens. "How dare she! Telling me what to do… that little wench. He growled softly. "She certainly is strong willed, to stand up to someone like me the way she did." he admitted grudgingly. "Annoyingly strong willed." He barked angrily at no particular person or thing around him. "Brave too… I'll admit. Jumping in and taking that blow…" He shook his head. "Stop that! She's a half-breed weakling cat with a big mouth and no manners!" He growled, stomping his large paw down on the dirt and sending a cloud of flower seeds and dust into the air. "Imperfect and weak. I need someone strong and gorgeous to be the one to break this cursed spell father placed on me!"

Still, he couldn't get the young cat-girl's face out of his mind. The look in her eyes when she'd pleaded with him… her look of defiance and determination… he snarled and shook his head. "Annoying wench…" he sniffed and stalked off to his room to sulk.

When he reached his rooms, he walked over to an extravagantly carved wooden table standing in the corner. He gingerly lifted a small dagger from the table with his claws and stared at it solemnly.

"Father, your spell is nearly impossible to break. What were you thinking?" he hissed at the dagger before dropping it roughly back down onto the table.

).(

"You'll have to forgive the master for how he reacted to you… he's very proud and vain…" the servant said, looking slightly ashamed of his master's short comings as he handed Hikaru a crisp, clean kimono.

Hikaru tilted her head. "Why do I have to forgive him…? Was his reaction to me that terrible?" She stepped behind the changing curtain and slipped out of her tattered, blood-and-dirt-stained kimono and slid into the new, clean, silken one. She shivered in delight at the feeling of the silk on her skin.

"Terrible? He did all but call you ugly outright!" he cried indignantly.

Hikaru giggled as she came out from behind the curtain and smiled at him. "I've been called worse than that, you know. I'm a slave, insults are my life." Her smile disappeared when she saw the servant wince. She crossed the room quickly to look at his temple again. "You're not still in pain…are you? I healed it all, didn't I?" Her worry caught him by surprise and he shook his head.

"You're life is a living hell… and you worry about _me_? What are you…?" His voice grew soft on the last question as he looked into Hikaru's bright green eyes, searching for an answer. She shook her head and smiled lightly at him.

"My life is a paradise compared to some. I'm alive, well and I have people I care for. I couldn't ask for anything more than that," she said softly, her eyes clouded and far away. The servant waited patiently for a moment, then gently touched her shoulder, bringing her out of her memories. "S-sorry," she mumbled, blushing in embarrassment.

"It's alright, but I believe there are some things I should tell you… like why my master is so intent on finding a beautiful woman and why he looks the way he does," the servant said, pulling Hikaru gently to the bed and sitting down next to her.

Hikaru tilted her head curiously. "Is there something wrong with the way he looks…?" she asked, sounding confused.

The servant blinked and chuckled. "You are definitely going to be good for him, if he doesn't kill you…" The servant cringed at the idea.

Hikaru blinked and giggled quietly. "Don't worry about me. But…why would I be good for him? Why am I here, exactly…?" Her voice was quiet, respectful and shy, but the servant could tell she really wanted to know the answers.

He smiled. "He needs someone with a kind, compassionate heart to teach him how to care and love. Someone the exact opposite of himself. He needs you." The servant smiled when Hikaru blushed once again.

).(

And that's chapter two! (grin) If you wanna continue reading, tune in next week for our next episode! (cackles insanely)


	4. Assassination and Admiration

Disclaimer: … You _know _I don't own Sesshomaru-kun, so _stop asking me!!!!!!_

(blink…blink) I think… my disclaimer needs to stay away from the coffee… don't you? As an apology for taking so long to update with chapter two, here is chapter three nice and early for you! Enjoy chapter three! It was fun to write… (evil crackling background lighting of doom)

).(

Chapter Three

Assassination and Admiration

Hikaru turned on her side and sighed heavily, staring at the moon as it slowly rose higher in the night sky. How did he expect her to sleep after telling her what he'd told her…? A curse, learning to be kind, and caring, and learning how to love? How did _she _fit into all this? She gave up on sleeping and sat up, leaned over to light a candle and turned to face the full length mirror that stood in the corner.

"Why me…? Why couldn't it be someone stronger…? Someone more beautiful…? More perfect?" She stared at her reflection, her ears flattening nervously to her head. "I-I know he needs to learn how to be kind…but how can _I _teach him…?" She just couldn't figure it out. She quickly scanned back through everything that had happened when her new friend had explained what was going on to her. She smiled lightly. "At least I know his name now… Ryuuzaki." She mumbled the name quietly to herself.

She jumped when she heard a loud crash outside her window. She jumped to her feet when she heard it again and ran to her window, pulling it open silently and leaned out, listening, her black cat ears straining for the tiniest sound.

"…and then we'll get 'im." Hikaru's head snapped around toward the sound of the new voice. Fear flooded through her when she saw six large, burly men. One carried a large sword, three were carrying a torch in each hand, one held a spear close to his chest and the other… the other looked strange to Hikaru.

The first thought that crossed her mind was Ryuu. He was in danger. He was the first man, outside the small group of slaves she'd lived with, to be kind to her. She couldn't let anything happen to him. But what could she do…? She hated violence and fighting, anything she'd try to do would only make things worse…

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" Hikaru stiffened. That was Ryuu's voice!

)…(

He growled and rolled over again, his mind focused on one thing… and it wasn't sleep. He couldn't get those eyes out of his head. He didn't understand why, but those emerald eyes had burned themselves into his memory, and they were depriving him of his sleep. A low growl built in his throat as his mind flashed to her expression at Ryuu being hurt. She'd had tears in her eyes. He'd seen them, and smelled them… he'd made her cry. He growled again.

"Why won't she get out of my head?" he snarled under his breath, his mind still flashing through every expression he'd seen on her beautiful, scared, face. He sighed heavily and let his mind do its play-back before it finally shut down and let him drift to sleep…

_She was smiling at him. Her eyes were gentle, loving. She reached out and put her hand on the side of his cheek, stroking her thumb lightly along his skin. He shivered and pressed his cheek closer into her hand, nuzzling her wrist with his nose. He reached up and placed his hand over hers, looking into those entrancing emerald eyes. She leaned forward, her eyes sliding closed. He leaned down to meet her and…_

A loud crash outside his window jolted him awake. He snarled loudly and stood. Whoever, or whatever had just woke him up was going to _die_! He snarled again and shoved his window open with his nose. As soon as the window was open, however, a large purple cloud hit him squarely in the face. He heard a voice shouting strange phrases and words as the purple cloud sank into his fur and started to burn. He bit back a howl and burst out the window, looming over the six humans who'd invaded his home.

Ryuu, who was standing between his master's window and the men, stumbled backward when his master's large paws landed on either side of him. He looked up. "M-master-"

The demon cut him off with a sharp half growl, half bark. "What. The. _Fuck_. Do. You. _Want_?" the demon snarled at the men, his eyes blazing. "I was _sleeping_ and you _woke _me!" He had been enjoying his dream...

One of the men, the one with the large sword, called out a battle cry and rammed the blade of the sword into the demon's chest. There was a sharp cry and the demon fell to his knees; the sword had just barely missed his heart. The man pulled his sword out and backed up, ready to try again. He charged. There was a flash of red and a sharp hiss and the sword came to a stop, inches from the demon's chest.

"Wh-what the hell?" the man cried in fear. The demon looked up. There she was… the girl. She had one arm wrapped firmly around the blade of the sword, keeping it from moving any further. Her other arm held the man's, twisting it to the left until he dropped the sword and raced away. The sword fell to the ground with a loud clatter and the girl turned to face the other five men, her face twisted in an angry snarl. The demon stared.

"Get out!" she hissed, her fangs flashing in the moonlight. The men all cried out in fear and raced away. She waited a moment while the sounds of the men crashing through the trees faded, then quickly turned to the demon, her expression one of concern.

"M-m'lady Hikaru-" Ryuu started, moving toward her. Her hand shot up to stop him and he paused. She held her hand out in front of her, moving slowly toward the demon. He snarled and snapped at her half-heartedly, struggling against the twin pains in his chest to keep his icy façade up. She touched his muzzle lightly with her right hand and knelt between his knees, placing her left over his wound.

"It'll only hurt for a moment, M'lord… I promise." she whispered gently, moving her right hand to rest just above her left. Her hands began to glow and the demon's body was flooded with warmth. He frowned when he saw her eyes tighten. The smell of fresh, half human blood filled the air and he stiffened. Her eyes tightened further, the glow from her hands slowly fading. Then her hands were gone, as was the warmth.

The demon narrowed his eyes at her. Her face was tight with pain. She smiled weakly at him, her face paling, the front of her kimono now stained deep crimson with her blood. "F-forgive … m-me…" Her voice faded as she fell forward, her eyes sliding closed. The demon shot his nose out and caught her gently, laying her on the grass. She'd just… he shook his head.

"Ryuu! Quickly. Fetch the doctor from his chambers and bring him down!"

"R-right away master!" Ryuu raced away, crying out for the doctor as he went. The demon stared down at the tiny half-cat, his ice-heart breaking at the sight of her. Her skin was pale white from blood loss, her breathing was weak… her gentle face twisted in pain. A tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a light pink trail in its wake.

"What _are _you…?" the demon muttered, watching her. "A demon… or an angel…?"

)…(

Uh-oh… Hikaru's gone and got herself hurt…_again._ (innocent grin) I just love being evil to the characters I create… dunno why… maybe it's because I'm not evil enough to real live people…? (looks at terrified therapist) What do you think doc….?


	5. Sorrows and Storms

EEEK! (sob) It was raining and… and I was tired… I had w-worked a double shift and…and… (hiccup) m-my dad said t-to come home as quickly as possible to miss the bad part of the storm…. and I got pulled over for accidentally speeding! (breaks down in hysterical sobbing) It's my first speeding ticket! I… I can't… NOOOOOO! My driving record has been defiled!

Disclaimer:… ignore her. She's… a bit over dramatic when it comes to this kind of thing… (sighs and grabs a box of tissues and a straight jacket) She doesn't own Sesshomaru, and right now I don't think she really cares… enjoy the story!

).(

Chapter Four

Sorrows and Storms

It had been five days since the humans had attacked. Five days since Hikaru had healed the master of the castle, at the cost of taking the wound onto herself. Five days of worry, because she wasn't healing, or waking up.

The master had taken to sitting outside her open bedroom door, watching and waiting for her to awaken. It didn't seem right to him, seeing her just laying there. He never slept. Fear of anything happening, good or bad, while he slept kept his eyes wide open. Her weak heartbeat echoed in his ears, followed closely by her labored breathing.

Why wasn't she getting better…? Ryuu barely left Hikaru's side, or his master's. At least once a day he would un-bandage Hikaru's chest, clean and check the wound, then re-dress everything. At least her bleeding had finally stopped. It had taken three days, but the bleeding had slowed, then finally stopped.

Both Ryuu and his master secretly feared the worst. She was wounded, had lost a lot of blood, hadn't eaten or drank anything in five days… and she wasn't waking up. They feared they would lose her.

).(

Seven days now. The demon stared out the window at the pouring rain. It seemed to echo the castle's mood. The rain had begun to pour seconds after Hikaru was safely in her bed, and it refused to let up. Seven days of rain… Seven days of sunless sorrow.

The demon had noticed that at least once a day, sometimes twice, Hikaru's heart would begin to race, her breathing would become more ragged and tears would burn tracks of pink down her pale cheeks. Her whole body would tremble weakly, as if something were frightening her…

).(

Darkness… it surrounded her. Darkness and pain. She knew the pain. She'd felt it many times before. The darkness was all too familiar as well, though it frightened her to think of what happened every time she'd found herself surrounded by this darkness. The pain usually followed the darkness, never intertwined with it…

Suddenly, the darkness melted and a painfully bright memory played out before her.

Terrified and pain-filled screams sounded in her sensitive ears, making her wince. Flames licked at everything. She realized after only moments what memory this was. She shrank back and let out a horrified scream.

).(

Ryuu leaned over Hikaru, trying to calm her, his eyes wide in fear. Hikaru was screaming. Her voice was broken and strangled, laced with sobs and gasps of pain. The demon burst through the door, half snarling, half panting.

"_N-No_!" her cry was broken half way through by a pain filled sob.

"What's happened?" he growled.

"Sh-she just started screaming! I-I don't know what's happened to her!" Ryuu stammered, his face pale white with fear. "She-"

"M-Mother-! F-Father-! P-please, _no_!" Her cry was strangled by a broken sob. Endless tears burned tracks down her cheeks. Both Ryuu and his master froze. "P-please… K-Kurai-_no_!" she sobbed again. The demon felt his heart clench. What had this girl been through…?

Slowly her screams quieted, but she continued to sob weakly, her whole body trembling with every intake of breath.

On and off throughout the next few hours, her screams could be heard echoing off the castle walls.

Just before midnight, she started screaming again, crying out once more for her mother and father. Her voice was hoarse and ragged from all the screaming. Ryuu cringed away from the sound. It broke his heart. His master moved next to the bed and lay his nose over Hikaru's legs lightly, watching her closely.

His ears flattened against his head as yet another broken sob cut through the air. Hikaru's body jerked painfully and her eyes flashed open, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. The Master leapt back in surprise. Ryuu's head shot up and he stared at the thin figure on the bed. Hikaru hiccupped quietly, grimaced in pain and looked around her in confusion.

"Wh-what's… h-happened…?" she asked, her voice breaking. She winced and put a hand around her throat, her eyes tight in pain. Ryuu handed her a glass of water, looking at her with a mixture of worry and amazement.

"You've been unconscious for a week, Lady Hikaru… We've been worried sick," Ryuu mumbled, glancing over at his master. Said dog demon was glaring at a wall, his posture screaming embarrassment. He felt his cheeks burning under his fur and frowned at himself.

"I-I'm sorry…" Hikaru mumbled, staring shame-faced at the blanket that covered her.

The demon snarled angrily, looming over the tiny cat-demon. "You _should _be!" he snarled at her, making the poor girl flinch back into her pillows. "Nothing has been done around the castle since you were hurt. Do you realize how much work there is to get caught up on?"

"I-I didn't… didn't mean to cause s-so much trouble… o-or worry anyone. I-I'm sorry…" she whispered weakly. "I-I was…j-just trying to h-help…" Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't do anything right.

The demon flinched. He'd gone and made her cry again.

"Hikaru, you don't have to apologize. The master just doesn't know how to handle all the emotions he's feeling right now. He's never been worried or excited before," Ryuu explained gently, placing a comforting hand on Hikaru's shoulder.

She flinched. "B-but-" she started weakly.

"Stop worrying and concentrate on getting better," the master muttered, embarrassed.

Hikaru blinked and giggled quietly. "Yes sire." She smiled brightly, making the demon's cheeks burn under his fur. All three glanced out the window as bright silver light slashed across the room. The dark clouds had rolled back and the moon was showing her shining face for the first time in a week.

).(

(hiccup) I'm feeling much better now… My mum talked to the judge and he's gonna give me a court date to appeal for a deferred sentence, which means my driving record may not be defiled after all! (happy sob) And I get a new car! Soon as I save up some money to help mum pay for it, it's gonna be my 18th birthday present… I think… (squee!)


	6. Mischief and Memories

I am so-o sorry for the wait guys! But there were issues with computer problems and not knowing how to end the chapter… but here it is, finally! Hope you enjoy it! And now that this is posted you'll probably only have to wait a few days until chapter six is up… (sweatdrop) Please don't hurt me?

Disclaimer: Ya'll know the drill. She doesn't own Sesshomaru, she only owns Hikaru, and she has been given to Sesshomaru-Kun. (innocent grin)

Chapter Five

Mischief and Memories

Ryuu smiled as he watched the sun rise. He hadn't seen the sun in a week. It was a welcome sight to see it rising once again.

"Back to the way it should be."

).(

Hikaru woke slowly that morning. Her mind felt heavy, as though it had been under enormous strain instead of shut down while she'd slept. She sighed quietly.

She jumped when her bedroom door swung open. She relaxed and smiled when she saw Ryuu walking in. He smiled back at her and set the tray he was carrying on the bedside table.

"You're awake! How'd you sleep, m'lady?" he asked politely, smiling wider when he saw Hikaru blush at the formal title. He walked around the foot of the bed to draw the curtains and open the window. Hikaru giggled.

"I take it you slept well. You're very cheerful this morning," she teased lightly, making Ryuu laugh. He pulled the curtains back, letting the sunlight in and smiled when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hikaru's eyes slide shut happily. She was basking in the sun.

).(

"…and the master has gone out hunting. He neither ate nor slept while you were ill, so I imagine he's ravished and exhausted. But while he's gone he said you have free range of the castle, as long as you feel up to moving around." Hikaru nodded, watching in quiet amusement as Ryuu paced back and forth in front of her bed.

"Is there anywhere I'm not allowed to go?" she asked, giggling quietly when Ryuu jumped at the sound of her voice. He shook his head and smiled at her.

"Just be careful not to hurt yourself again. The master would have my head if he came home to find you worse then when he'd left."

).(

After breakfast, Hikaru decided she was tired of being in bed and pushed herself up slowly, wincing slightly. Her wound had begun healing quickly now that she was awake, and the pain was fading, but not completely gone.

She slipped out of bed and changed clothes, pulling on a fresh, pale green kimono with a dark green leaf pattern flaring up from the bottom. She tied her teal obi and found a brush hidden in one of the dresser drawers. She quickly brushed and re-braided her long red hair and smiled. She looked and felt better now that she had clean clothes on and her hair was no longer a ratted mess.

She wandered the hallways for a bit, finding a library, a dining hall and a huge bath house near one end of the castle. The library interested her, but her attention drifted to a darkened hall that seemed as though it didn't belong to the castle. She moved toward it, wandering through the shadows until she found a door.

On the other side was a large bedroom. She guessed it was the master's chambers and glanced around curiously. Her eyes landed on a large portrait of a handsome young demon with long silver hair, golden eyes and a blue crescent moon on his forehead. She recognized the eyes of the young man and gasped, walking forward slowly to trace his features with her finger. So _this_, is what the master had looked like before he was cursed… She blushed lightly and shook her head. Glancing around the room once more, she spotted a portrait that had been covered by an old blanket. She reached up and pulled the blanket down.

A family stared back at her. The father; tall, strong and handsome, with long silver hair tied back in a high ponytail and thin features, like his son. The mother was a beautiful demoness, who also had long silver hair, and gentle features. The child, a small toddler. He looked like his father in many ways, but his face was softer, like his mother's. Hikaru giggled gently at the huge smile on the boy's face.

She reached out and touched the picture gently, a look of longing on her face as she first traced the father's armor, then the mother's jewelry with the tip of her finger. She stiffened when she felt hot, damp, air brush the back of her neck. She turned slowly, her fingers resting on the small boy's cheek as her eyes met the master's. He snarled.

"What do you think you're doing in my chambers…?" His voice was a low, angry growl. She dropped her hand from the portrait and swallowed hard.

"I-I was told that… I-I could explore the castle… th-that I wasn't forbidden from anywhere…" she stammered. He snorted angrily and shoved his nose toward the portrait of the family.

"And that? Why did you uncover that picture?" he snarled, tearing the portrait from the wall, barely missing Hikaru's shoulder with his long, sharp fangs. She flinched and jumped back, crashing against a table.

"I-I'm sorry- I just… a-a f-family picture shouldn't be covered… e-especially if you don't get to see them any longer," she stuttered again. Another growl ripped its way out of the demon's throat, making Hikaru's ears ring.

"You have no_ right _to uncover this picture! There's a reason it's covered! Now, _get out…_" he hissed at her, shoving the blanket back over the portrait roughly. Hikaru flinched when she heard the frame crunch under his large paw. She glared at him, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Y-you… I-I don't know what your parents did to make you so angry… but at least you have a picture of them," her voice wavered painfully. A tear rolled down her cheek and she swiftly brushed it away. "At least you can remember them!" And without another word, she turned on her heel and raced from the room. The demon stood there, seething.

In the distance he heard one of the main doors open, then slam shut, and Ryuu crying out worriedly to someone. He didn't care. He was too angry. He was too… Then he stiffened. She'd actually _left _the castle. He turned and charged out after her, making it outside in time to see her spread a pair of large, black, feathered wings from her shoulders and take off into the air. Ryuu stood at his master's feet, dumbfounded.

).(

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she flew. She knew it wasn't right to run away the way she did, but she had to get out of there. He had a family. For all she knew they could still be alive, they could still be close to him, yet he covered their faces and acted as though he despised them. She shook her head. What some people take for granted.

She landed in a clearing, her chest throbbing painfully. She leaned against a tree to catch her breath. Her head shot up when a twig snapped. At first she didn't see anything, then her whole body tensed when three young demons walked out of the trees, smirking darkly at her.

"Hello there, love. Alone, are you?" one of them asked, licking his fangs and smirking wider. She pressed herself closer to the tree, spreading her wings in preparation to take off, when she felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder, then her right. She glanced over to see an arrow sticking out from the center of each wing. A rope was attached to each arrow, and both ropes were wrapped snuggly around one of the demons' wrists. She was trapped.

The third demon reached out and grabbed her shoulders, yanking the sleeves of her kimono down and exposing her bandaged chest. She cried out in terror and shoved against his chest weakly, pain shooting from her chest to her head and down to her stomach. He shoved her against the tree and smirked.

"This is going to be fun," he said as he leaned down toward her. She shut her eyes and shuddered in fear at what she knew was about to happen. Suddenly, the hands holding her down were gone. Then the ropes attached to the arrows in her wings went slack. Her eyes flew open and she stared in surprise as the master of the castle, her demon, stood over the three terrified boys, snarling angrily.

"Don't you _ever _come near her again! _Understand_?" His voice dripped with venom. The three smaller demons nodded and whimpered. The master leaned down, as though to bite the boys. Hikaru cried out and ran forward, wrapping her arms around his muzzle and holding him back.

"_No_! Don't hurt them, please!" She felt the demon stiffen under her arms. She whimpered quietly. "V-violence is wrong… please, just let them go," she whispered quietly into his fur. He growled but moved back, pulling Hikaru with him.

"You're an idiot," he growled softly at her, watching the three weakling demons race off into the trees as fast as their legs could carry them. Hikaru smiled gently at him and buried her face in his fur.

"I know." she mumbled.

).(

Aw-w-w! They had a fluffy moment! (sparkly eyes) I actually wrote a slightly fluffy part… and it's actually cute! (bounces) I'm gettin' good at this stuff! Yay!

Sesshomaru: (magically appears and glowers at author) I wouldn't have let those idiots go if you hadn't been unfair by making that damned cat look so…so-!

So, what, Sesshy-Ku-un…? (innocent blink)

Sesshomaru: (chases) DIE!

Gah-! (runs for life) Hurry and review before he kills me and I can't finish the story!-!-!


	7. Puzzles and Pieces

Chapter Six

Puzzles and Pieces

).(

Hello all! See? I told you all it wouldn't be that long of a wait for chapter six! And I am a woman of my word. (nods sagely)

Disclaimer: … Shut up before you hurt yourself. (slight eye twitch) She doesn't own any of the Inuyasha characters. If she did, the anime would probably have been based off this story line and no one would have ever watched it…

_Hey_! That's not fair!

Sesshomaru: Neither is pairing me up with a pathetic half cat who can't even defend-

Don't make me bring Hikaru into this, Sesshomaru… (raises keyboard threateningly) I will do it…

Sesshomaru: … Damn you… (death glare)

).(

Ryuu paced back and forth, waiting nervously for his master's return. They'd been gone for nearly three hours now…

).(

The Demon walked back into the castle, carrying the sleeping Hikaru on his back awkwardly. He walked stiffly into her room and shifted his shoulders so she slid gently into bed.

"Master…? Is… is she alright?" Ryuu stood in the doorway looking worriedly at Hikaru. The demon nodded and walked out of the room.

The look on her face when he'd found her… he shuddered and shook the memory away.

"I'm going away for a while. I need some time away. I won't be back for at least a month. Tell her," he jerked his head back toward Hikaru, "that I've gone on an extended hunting trip." He relaxed when he saw Ryuu nod obediently.

"Of course, master. Will you send a message to inform us of your return?" Ryuu asked quietly, watching Hikaru's sleeping form. The concern in Ryuu's voice made his master flinch. That tone always brought _her _face to mind…

"Yes, yes, of course I will. While I'm gone, she's master of the house. Do everything she tells you to and make sure she's happy. Protect her and make sure _none _of the guards touch her." He snarled the last part, his eyes flashing angrily. Ryuu bit back a chuckle.

"Of course master, but, why are you so worried about it?"

The demon snarled at the question and Ryuu chuckled lightly. "Mmmhmn…" he mumbled quietly.

His master growled again. "She's _fragile, _Ryuu. I don't want any of them _breaking _her," he hissed.

Ryuu nodded, forcing his features into a serious expression. "Anything you say, master," he said, smiling to himself.

).(

Ryuu knocked lightly on Hikaru's bedroom door, his eyes bright and excited.

Hikaru's head poked out and her eyes brightened when she saw him. "Morning!" she grinned. Ryuu smiled back. Her cheerfulness and kindness were contagious.

"Good morning, M'lady!" Ryuu sang, chuckling when Hikaru cringed at the formal title.

"C'mon, Ryuu, we've been through this twenty times everyday for the past three months. My name is Hikaru. _Please _use it?" she mumbled.

"Alright then, _Lady _Hikaru." He laughed out loud at the face she made. "It's time for breakfast."

"You just won't give up, will you?" she muttered angrily. "It's my turn to cook today, right?" Her expression brightened once more. Ryuu chuckled lightly and nodded.

"Today is your turn," he repeated, shaking his head at her. She bounced off toward the kitchen, smiling happily.

Three months had passed since the master had left. Hikaru and Ryuu had developed a routine. Everyday after breakfast, Hikaru would spend a couple hours in the garden walking, training and gardening. After her time outside, she would help Ryuu and the other servants around the castle until lunchtime. Then she would go and cook for everyone. While the others ate, she would go into the library and work on organizing the thousands of books the master owned. She would work at that until dinner, cook once more, then all of the servants would meet in the main ballroom and Hikaru would entertain them for an hour by singing or telling stories that made them laugh. Then they would all head to bed.

Every other day Hikaru got to cook breakfast. Ryuu loved her cooking and had conceded to her request easily. Today, it was her turn, and everyone in the castle was excited.

).(

Three Months. Three Months away from her and her face still haunted his dreams, still invaded his mind during the day. He'd given up on getting her out of his head after the first week. The rest of his time away had been spent piecing together the clues he'd gotten from her body language, her expressions and what he'd heard her say.

All he had so far was that she was afraid of men, she disliked violence with a burning passion, and her mother and father were… he had no idea where. He growled quietly in frustration.

He had _nothing_.

He needed more clues, more pieces to the puzzle… he needed to know why she was the way she was…

Why she caught hold of his attention, and had never let it go…

).(

"When is the Master going to return?" The quiet question caught Ryuu by surprise. Was Hikaru actually _missing _the master…?

"Not sure, but he promised he'd send a messenger to inform us of his return," he answered vaguely, watching her reaction. Hikaru shook her head lightly.

"But what if he gets hurt and we're not there to help him…?" she asked softly, worry shining in her eyes.

Ryuu frowned lightly. "He'll be fine," he said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. His voice was strong and sure. She looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes. He smiled reassuringly and she smiled back weakly.

"Of course…" she whispered, still sounding concerned and unsure.

).(

He'd finally pieced together part of the puzzle. The part that made him want to kill any man that even looked at her. He snarled.

The reason she was afraid of men. The reason she'd looked the way she did when those demons had tried to have their way with her in the woods when he'd saved her.

She'd been raped.

He snarled darkly at the thought. The men who'd hurt her would pay.

They were going to _die_.

He frowned. They weren't worth the time… they were only humans. And she was just a half-demon.

Wasn't she…?

No. She'd saved his life and forgiven him time and again for his cruelty toward her. She was kinder to him then he'd ever deserved and she'd been put through at least one level of hell that he knew of. _She _was worth the time. He was going hunting, for _real_.

He turned toward the door.

"_**Stop**__ it__! Just stop it_!" He froze. H-Hikaru…? _"No one has the right to treat other people that way!_" her voice cried fearfully. He growled.

"They hurt you! I have the right to kill them!" he snarled.

"_No one has the right," _her voice sounded again, fading away slowly.

He roared angrily. "Dammit all! Why does she have to be so damned gentle and caring?" he barked sharply at the sky. "Fine. I won't kill them. I'll just go home to get some answers instead."

).(

He'd been running all night, and he was exhausted, but he'd made it. He was home. He walked through the front door and nearly stepped on Ryuu.

"M-Master-?" Ryuu cried out in surprise. "Y-you've r-returned!"

"Obviously." the master growled tiredly.

"B-but… you said you were going to send a message ahead of you…"

"Spur of the moment decision. Where's Hikaru?"

"She's in-"

"Never mind. Just send her to my chambers after I've finished taking my bath. I'm so tired…" He turned down the hall and walked towards the room where the baths were.

"B-but mast-" Ryuu was silenced by a low growl. "Guess he'll find out soon enough…" he muttered quietly.

).(

He shoved the door open to the baths and froze. For a moment he thought it was a servant girl. Then he saw a flash of red hair under the towel on the girl's head and knew it was _her_. He was staring at her bare back.

His keen demon eyes instantly noticed each and every burn mark, scar and imperfection on the pale skin. He stared. There wasn't an inch of the poor girl's back that wasn't scarred or burned. She really had been through hell.

Most of the scars were from whips or swords or arrows; he recognized the way the scars were shaped, but the two largest ones… he didn't know where they had come from. They stretched from the base of her neck, parallel with her spine, straight down to her mid back. They went from thin and smooth at the top, to wide and jagged in the middle, then back again.

He shook his head, frowning at himself. He was staring…

He had just willed his legs to move him backward out of the room when her shoulders shifted, and he was frozen again, his eyes locked on those long jagged scars once more, watching as the lean muscles of her back rippled as she began to turn toward him…

).(

She could sense someone behind her, so she reached over, picked up her towel, and held it in front of her chest as she turned to see who it was. She froze when her emerald eyes met pure gold, and her face flushed bright red.

"M-M'lord, y-you're home…" she whispered.

).(

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is chapter six! Hope you all liked it! Please keep reading! Please review! (Puppy eyes) I like reviews… they make me feel loved.

Sesshomaru: That's only because no one actually loves you.

(large watery eyes) H-how could you, Sesshomaru?-! After all the work I went through to create Hika-Chan for you an-and you… (sobs)

Disclaimer: Nice going, dog-boy… now she's going to be depressed and I'm going to have to deal with it. (crosses arms) What do you have to say for yourself?

Sesshomaru: … I hate you _all_.


	8. Assumptions and Answers

Hello all! I am so sorry this chapter took so long… My wonderful editor's computer crashed… _Again… _

Disclaimer: Stop blaming it on her computer crashing. You're just slow!

He-ey! I am not! (pout)

Sesshomaru: Yes you are. (smirk) Slow and stupid.

Ok that does it. (snaps fingers)

Hikaru: (materializes out of nowhere) Sesshomaru… are you being mean again? (puts hands on hips)

Sesshomaru: (Death glare at author) _damn you…_

).(

Chapter Seven

Assumptions and Answers

He stood there, frozen, looking into those hypnotically beautiful green eyes. She shifted nervously and her towel slipped. He felt his cheeks burn as her now exposed chest caught his eye. Maybe she wasn't quite as imperfect as he'd thought…

"M-M'lord, y-you're home…" Her statement brought him back from his daze. He shook his head quickly to clear it and turned away, his cheeks still burning.

"Y-You're-," he cleared his throat. "You look well," he said quickly, unconsciously turning his eyes back to her skin. She nodded lightly, chewing on her lip nervously.

"I'm… I-I'm glad you've returned safely," she said softly, blushing maroon when the master looked at her in confusion. "I-I m-mean… e-everyone missed you, a-and some of us w-were worried you m-might get…hurt." she stuttered, blushing darker.

She was so cute…. The master shook his head again and growled quietly at himself. She wasn't cute!

"Of course I'm not hurt; I'm strong enough to take care of myself, Hikaru," he said, his voice more icy then he'd intended. She flinched and nodded, staring at the floor.

"R-right… f-forgive me…" she said softly. He flinched inwardly and mentally growled at himself. He'd been back five minutes and he'd already managed to upset her.

"No, no. I'm very tired and I snap easily when I'm tired. I'm the one who should be sor-…" He couldn't say it. He sighed in frustration. "Sor-…" he growled. She blinked and smiled gently.

"You don't need to apologize, M'lord." she said gently, her eyes soft. He felt his cheeks burning under his fur once more. "What brought you home so early from your hunting trip?" she asked, tilting her head.

Why had he come home…? His mind kept shifting back to the fact that there was a beautiful woman in front of him, who was covered only halfway by a very thin towel. He shook his head and growled softly at himself again.

"Focus," he hissed quietly. Then he lifted his head and looked at Hikaru. "I wanted answers," he said quickly, before his mind had a chance to shift again.

"Answers…? Answers to what?" she asked curiously, leaning forward a little bit, making the towel shift once again and covering the far half of her chest once more. Disappointment flooded his mind, to his surprise.

"I can't figure you out," he stated simply. "Your fear of men is strong enough to paralyze you, yet you protect the very men who try to harm you from being harmed." He began pacing. "You're always smiling even though I know for a _fact _that you've been through more than one nightmare of your own." He saw her eyes shift down, but he was in the middle of a rant and couldn't stop. "You heal people, even though you _know_ you'll be hurt doing it. You forgive the people who are cruel to you much, _much _too easily, _and _you never worry about yourself! It's always _someone else_ you're afraid for!" His voice rose with every turn he made while pacing.

Hikaru was staring at the wall sadly when he came to a stop in front of her. She sighed and nodded.

"I can… I can understand why you want to know about all of that," she said, her voice breaking sadly. He watched as she took a deep, shaky breath. "What do you want to know first?" she asked weakly, trying to smile and failing as a tear rolled down her cheek.

).(

Hikaru perched herself on the edge of her bed, pulling her legs up and crossing them. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest, letting it rest on her lap as she leaned on it. The Master lay on the floor in front of her, his tail wrapped around his legs.

"So, what do you want to know first?" she asked again.

"First?" he asked, thinking. "Why does your healing power hurt you?" Aside from her being raped who knew how many times, the fact that she'd hurt herself to save him annoyed him the most.

"Oh, that," she said nervously. "It's a curse I have. I'm being punished for past incidents," she said, another tear rolling down her cheek. He hated seeing her cry, but he needed to know.

"Past incidents…?" he pressed lightly. She nodded.

"Things I never should have done…" Her answer was vague, but the point to its vagueness was obvious. She didn't want to tell him about that part of her story just yet. He sighed.

"Why are you so kind to everyone?" he asked, trying to give her something a bit easier to answer. She smiled faintly, her eyes distant.

"My mother taught me that everyone, every living thing, deserved kindness. That being cold and hard to someone is easy, but that being warm and gentle toward them takes real strength." She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "She taught me that raising your hand in anger against anyone is wrong."

"Is that why you're covered in those scars?" He couldn't hide his curiosity any longer. She blinked and looked down, blushing. She'd forgotten he'd seen her in the bath… She nodded quickly to him.

"Most of them are from people who've attacked me, and I didn't fight back. The rest are from healing people and from my life as a slave." He nodded slowly as she spoke, trying to picture the pain she'd gone through… He couldn't.

"Who were your parents?" This wasn't as hard as he'd thought it would be. Hikaru blushed brightly.

"My Father's name was Haku; he was a human samurai warrior. My Mother was Lady Sakura Senshi." The master stared at her. Her mother was the demoness Sakura, the Lady of the Eastern domain?

"If you're lady Sakura's daughter, how did you become a slave?" he asked stiffly.

"I was captured when running away from home at the age of six," she said quietly.

"Why were you running away?" This story kept getting more and more tangled…

"Because of what had happened to my parents…" she said, gasping and covering her mouth when she realized what she'd said.

"What happened to your parents?" He never had been able to erase her screams from his memory. She flinched and stared at her hands.

"That's… a tough one to answer," she mumbled quietly. "But… if you really wish to know." She'd kept it a secret up until now, she should have known someone would ask…

"I murdered them," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

He stared at her. "You… _what_?"

).(

"Prepare dinner for our dear lady and our beloved master." Ryuu was standing in front of the rest of the servants, dealing out the evening jobs. A few servants gasped quietly.

"The master's back?" one asked loudly. Ryuu cringed.

"Yes. Now get to work. We need his chambers cleaned, his dinner ready and waiting and…" He sighed heavily. "Be prepared to shut the windows… once he notices." All the servants groaned loudly.

"Alright now, you heard him! Get to work!" the head maid called from the hallway, her duster already in her hand. "Let's move!"

).(

"…I've been possessed by the remnant of an evil vampire. He was angry with my mother for refusing him, so he found me playing alone one day and he bit me. In doing so, he forced a piece of his soul into mine. It manifested into a vengeful spirit and she took control one night… She murdered the guards, then set the sliding doors on fire… sh-she forced me to watch from the back of my subconscious as she murdered both my parents… Then everything went black. When I woke up, I was standing in the middle of the blaze, blood dripping from my hands and bodies lying all around me. I… I was six years old…" she said softly, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. The master stared at her.

"You really have been through hell…" he muttered softly. She shook her head and tried to dry her eyes.

"No… no. They're in a better place now. They're no longer in any pain," she said, her voice wavering, a heartbroken look in her eyes. "They're happy. And that's all that matters to me…" Her voice broke. He growled.

"There's no way they can be happy watching you suffer like you are," he snarled. She put a hand on his muzzle, silencing him gently. His whole body trembled at her touch.

"Don't say that. I want them to be happy. I'm not suffering, M'lord, really." She smiled gently and stroked his cheek fur; he unconsciously leaned into the touch. "There are people out there whose lives are far worse than mine… I just wish I could find them and make it better for them…" her eyes were distant, sad. The Demon growled quietly.

"See! You feel sorrow for others, you worry about other's safety, but you _never _do anything for yourself!" He was frustrated. She'd been forced to watch her parents murdered by her own hands, she had been turned into a slave, had been beaten and raped and _still _she worried more about the rest of the world than herself.

"I want to make amends… for what I've done," she whispered, pulling her knees up to her chest and laying her head back on the pillow. He snarled at her.

"What _you _have done? What do _you_ of all people have to atonefor?" She flinched at his tone, then turned her emerald eyes on him. They were hard, full of pain. Another wave of tears filled her eyes.

"I _murdered _my entire family! Innocent people died because I couldn't control this-this _monster _inside of me!" Her voice rose with stress. He stared at her incredulously. "If I'd been strong enough to hold her back they would have never died! Their deaths were my fault-"

"_Enough_!" he barked, standing over her and snarling angrily. "I am _tired _of you _always _taking _everything _onto yourself! You weren't the one who killed your parents, the vampire was. You were only six years old! How the _hell_ could you have fought against something like that? And in case this little pep talk doesn't sink in, think about this, would your family want you to be punishing yourself the way you are?" He turned and stormed out of the room. He didn't care if she cried now. He was too pissed off to care.

She was an _idiot_!

).(

He paced back and forth in his chambers, snarling to himself. He didn't fully understand why he'd said what he'd said, but he'd said it. He could hear Ryuu, trying to get her to let him into her room. He shook his head. Maybe he should go apologize…

His head shot up when he heard a loud crash. He raced out to see what had happened and nearly ran over Ryuu.

"What's hap-" He stopped short when he saw the look in Ryuu's eyes.

"It's Hikaru… s-someone broke into her bedroom window and took her!" The master snarled angrily and bolted out the door. Ryuu sank against the wall, worry written across his face.

"Please find her, master…" he prayed quietly.

).(

"L-let _go_ of me!" she hissed, straining against her bonds. She hissed again as the man came closer.

"Oh stop. I know you're afraid to hurt anyone. Give up trying to scare me you pathetic wench." He smirked at her, grabbing her chin roughly. "Hmn… Still so cute. Maybe after your little friend is gone we could have a little fun…" She twisted her head sharply and sank her fangs into his hand, biting down as hard as she could. He cried out and jumped back. She spat his blood out and hissed again.

"Don't you _dare _lay a hand on him!" Her voice was icy and harsh. Her eyes flashed protectively. She wouldn't let him get hurt again… not as long as she was still alive and breathing. She wouldn't lose anyone else…

The man backhanded her sharply across the face and growled. "You're in no position to be making commands little kitten!" he snarled at her.

).(

He was frozen. She was fighting back… because of him. He shook his head, trying to clear it enough to make his legs move, but he couldn't. She was fighting back, for him…

"Why are you doing this? You got bored with me and sold me to the first trader you saw, remember?" she hissed loudly. Her eyes flashed again. The Demon stiffened. She'd been this man's slave…?

"You're too _happy _with your new owner. You probably do everything he wants and don't fight him for it. Well, guess what? Now you're _mine _again!" he said, laughing. She spit in his face and hissed again.

"I'm not something you can _own,_ you monster! I'm a _person_!"

He pulled his hand back once more and struck her across the face, sending her flying a few feet away. She landed hard on her back, the side of her head colliding with a nearby rock. Everything went black.

"You're not a person, you're a slave! Learn your place you annoying bitch!"

The Demon growled. He'd broken out of his daze and wasn't happy. Hikaru was hurt, and the man who'd hurt and insulted her was going to pay. He charged forward, snarling angrily and sank his fangs into the man's chest and neck.

"_Never _speak that way about Hikaru again!" he growled, biting down harder. He cringed when he tasted the bitter tang of blood on his tongue. He heard the man give a strangled cry, then fall silent. He dropped the body and spat out the blood, gagging at the taste. He snarled.

Hikaru groaned and opened her eyes slowly, sitting up. She put a hand on the side of her head and winced. "Oh my hea-" She froze, staring wide-eyed at the body. "Wh-what…?" she stuttered, her voice breaking in fear. She turned to look up at the Demon, who was frozen in shock. Her eyes filled with tears as she pushed herself away from the bloody mess on the ground.

"D-did I..?" She couldn't bring herself to say it. She shuddered and pulled away further, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I didn't- k-kill…" Her voice quaked with fear; she couldn't say the words. She swallowed and hiccupped. He moved over to her and shook his head.

"It wasn't you…" was all he could manage. The expression on her face was breaking his heart…

).(

Ho-kay. So yeah, poor Hikaru. I'm cruel to my original characters; if you haven't noticed yet. (nervous chuckle) It's just too boring being nice to them.

Sesshomaru: (growls) You know I could just kill you… right?

But you _can't_! Wanna know why? (grins) Cause if I die, you never get to see the ending with you and Hikaru-Cha-an!

Sesshomaru: Why the hell would I car-

Hikaru: (big tearful eyes) Please don't kill her, Sesshomaru-Sama…

Sesshomaru: (death glare at author, emphasized by the evil purple lightning of doom in the background) _Damn you to hell… _


	9. Update :

Dear Readers,

I am soo sorry for the long wait! This story is actually complete, it just needs editing. Both myself and my wonderful editor Camryn-is-my-heart started school, I recently graduated and she is about to. Due to the busy schedules we've both had to keep up with in the last few months has made it nearly impossible for us to get together and edit this story so I can continue posting. Hopefully once we're both settled at our new jobs and have more free time this story will continue. Please accept my most sincere apologies for the long wait.

Sincerely yours,

CamrynsProudAuntie


	10. Control and Confession

I am so sorry for the long wait everyone! I was hoping to wait it out and see if I could find a time to weasel my editor into fixing these up for me before posting… but she's extremely busy and doesn't have the time for it. So, unfortunately, while I am updating, these next chapters will be unedited and fairly crappy compared to the others… so… hopefully you'll still enjoy the story, if not, I will be fixing up and reposting these later chapters later on. Thank you for your patience and please enjoy the rest of the story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except for Hikaru… she is mine. And no. you cannot have her.

).(

Chapter Eight

Control and Confession

She stared at the body once more, tears in her eyes, her heart full of pain. Violence was wrong… he knew how she felt about killing and he'd still murdered the poor man… there was only one thing she could think of to say…

).(

"_Why_?" her voice was weak and shaky. She stared up at him, her beautiful emerald eyes full of pain. He stared at her blankly. He didn't understand.

"Why…what?" he asked stupidly, frowning. She glared slightly, standing up. She brushed the back of her hand over her eyes to dry them and turned away, walking back toward the castle.

"You know how I feel about killing." She said stiffly, breaking into a run. He stared after her dumbfounded. She was angry… because he'd killed the man… who'd slapped her twice, knocked her unconscious and had been planning on using her as his play-thing. He growled angrily.

"Idiotic cat!" he snarled after her, starting to walk back.

).(

She'd been locked in her room since the disagreement. He had taken to pacing outside her door, waiting for her to come out and apologize to him. He realized after four hours of non-stop pacing, that she wasn't going to come out. He glanced out the window at the rising moon. It was late. She was probably sound asleep by now.

He walked forward and nosed her door open, racing inside in alarm when he saw her bed was empty. Her window was wide open and there was a rope hanging from the balcony. He snarled. She'd run away! Then his ears drooped. She'd run away because of him…

).(

Pain shot through her entire body as the moon began to rise. She dropped to her knees and bit back her scream of agony. She felt her wings shifting under her flesh and she let out a pained scream as they tore through her back and flared, pitch black, against the dark blue of the night sky.

Fire coursed through her body as her fangs and claws began to extend and grow. She flapped her wings weakly in an attempt to ward off the pain. Her back arched and a ragged screech of pain tore it's way from her throat. Her eyes flashed icy blue and her screams turned into cold, hard, laughter. She drew her lips back in a dark smirk, her large fangs flashing in the moonlight.

"Time to have some fun…" she hissed darkly.

).(

His head shot up, fear in his eyes, as the sounds of pained screaming reached his sensitive ears. He didn't know how he knew, but a sharp pang in his chest told him it was Hikaru, who was screaming.

He growled and lunged out her window, racing towards the sound of her screams. He didn't know what it was about this girl, but something was there, and that something made him want to protect her, no matter how pissed off at her he was.

He froze in fear when her screaming stopped, then he heard laughter… female laughter. He snarled and ran faster then he'd ever run before, skidding to a stop in front of a shadowy, feminine, figure. He growled.

"Where's Hikaru?" he hissed through his teeth. The figure laughed and ran a delicate hand through her hair.

"What, you don't recognize me, m'lord?" she asked in a sadistic voice laced with ice. She stepped from the shadows and the Demon froze in shock. He was staring at Hikaru. But… the voice wasn't Hikaru's; the eyes… no Hikaru's eyes weren't that cold. He snarled again.

"Where _is _she?" he barked, venom dripping from his fangs. The Not-Hikaru laughed coldly placing a finger lightly on her temple. She smirked at him.

"She's right here big boy. Or didn't she tell you about little old me?" he stiffened. This… this couldn't be the vampire she'd told him about… the one who'd murdered her parents. "Give the dog a prize, he's guessed right!" he snarled.

"So you read minds do you?" she snorted and laughed harshly, he mentally cringed at the sound. It sounded to inhuman to come from Hikaru…

"Hardly, you're just too easy to read, even if you don't realize it yourself." She said, circling him. "So you're the one, are you…? And here I thought she had better taste." She made a face and sniffed. "Oh well, not all women are graced with superior choosing abilities." She said walking away from him and flexing her claws.

"What in Hell's name are you talking about?" he growled, debating on if he wanted to bit the shit out of this annoying woman, or wait to see what she had to say.

She wagged a finger at him.

"Ah, ah, ah. No biting, unless you want your precious Hikaru to get hurt." He snarled again. Now she was threatening Hikaru! She laughed. "You don't get anything do you? You're too self-absorbed to realize what's going on right under your big, fuzzy, nose." She shoved his nose pointedly with her hand. He growled. "Technically, your little kitten and I are the same person, meaning, you hurt me, she feels it when she gets control back." She sneered at him. He stiffened. That couldn't be true… could it..? "And for the record, what I was talking about before was, Hikaru _loves_ you. Don't know why, you're too furry for me. But she _does_." She stared at her claws boredly, examining them in the moonlight. He barked out a sharp laugh.

"You're pathetic. Did you honestly think I would fall for that?" He wasn't stupid. Hikaru didn't love him, there's no way she could. Part of him, a tiny part way in the back of his mind leapt for joy at the thought, he quickly squashed it down. She didn't love him. It was impossible. No one, especially not sweet, gentile, caring Hikaru, could ever love a cold hearted, un-feeling _dog_.

The vampire laughed. "So you don't believe me eh? Then please, explain to me, because I'm in the dark, why is it, after everyone else who's ever cared for her has been abandoned by her after a short while, does she stick around and try to help you like she does? If she doesn't love you, then why would she want to do something like that?" he stared at her dumbly. Then he snarled.

"_She does not, love me. She never has, and she never will._" She would be an idiot to fall for him… he was an idiot for letting any part of him wish she would. He shook his head and snarled at the vampire.

"See, now that is insulting and hurtful." The vampire pouted. "What if Hikaru heard you say that? She'd be heartbroken!" He snarled again.

"_Silence_! Before I shut you up myself!"

She laughed harshly then glanced at the sky and sighed.

"Looks like our fun is over for tonight big boy," she winked at him seductively as the sky began to lighten and the sun began to rise. "Catch ya later." As the first few rays of the sun broke through the trees, Hikaru's body convulsed then collapsed on the ground, her wings splayed out around her.

The vampire was gone…

).(

A-a-a-and… now you know why I need an editor! So… yeah… hopefully it wasn't too horrible of an experience, once again I apologize for the long wait and the un-edited chapter. I just didn't want to make you guys wait any longer… these chapters will be edited and reposted eventually though! I promise!


	11. Guardians and Ghosts

Author's note:

I do not own Sesshomaru-Sama, though I do think he's a very pretty demon man.

).(

Chapter Nine

Guardians and Ghosts

He paced outside her door, worry marring his features, his tail lashing nervously behind him. Just behind the damned piece of wood that was blocking her from his view, Ryuu was hovering over her, tending to her restlessly. He glared down at one giant silvery paw, wishing desperately, now, of all times, that he had hands, so that _he _could be the one caring for her, instead of Ryuu.

But he didn't, so he couldn't… he never would…

).(

She didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to have to face him after what her other self had said. She couldn't face him after that… she pushed herself further back into the sea of shadows in her mind, refusing to surface. She heard the darkness laughing in the distance. She hissed fearfully at it, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

She had to stay here… if she didn't wake up, _she _couldn't take control, and if _she _couldn't take control, no one would get hurt. But she wanted to wake up… she wanted to see him again… to make him smile… she wanted him to be happy.

But… maybe by not waking up… she _would _be making him happy. She felt her heart breaking at the thought. She shook her head. She shouldn't be surprised. There was no way he could ever return her feelings…

He must hate her after seeing what she was hiding deep inside… she prayed he hated her, then it would be easier for both of them when she had to leave…

She had to stop caring for him…

).(

He heard voices. He knew Ryuu was down in the kitchen. He growled under his breath and nosed the door open lightly, looking inside through the crack.

A ghostly white woman was standing near the window, glaring toward the corner of the room. Her transparent arms were folded across her chest.

"_I don't understand you, Hikaru. You work so hard to make everyone around you happy, then run away when happiness shows itself to you. Why?_" the woman was still glaring at the corner, though her expression softened when a quiet sob answered her question. He glanced over and saw a transparent, glowing, Hikaru sitting in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes full of tears.

"_I'm afraid of hurting someone mother, you know that… I'm not safe to be around for very long and Kurai won't let me get close to anyone. She'll kill him, you know she will. I can't let myself care about him, but… I can't stop myself from doing it…_" she heaved a shuddering sigh and hid her face in her knees once more. The ghost by the window shook her head lightly, her expression sad.

"_But you're breaking your heart Hikaru… you deserve to be happy too. He's strong; he can help you fight Kurai. Give him a chance._" The Ghost Hikaru's head shot up, her eyes wide in fear.

"_n-no! I… I can't ask him to do that… put himself in danger like that? I would never forgive myself if he got hurt!" _the ghost woman walked over and lightly placed her transparent hand over where Hikaru's heart was and looked her in the eye.

"D_id you ever think, that maybe seeing you in pain _is_ what hurts him most…?" _her voice was soft, but firm. The demon watched the exchange in confusion. That… ghost, was Lady Sakura? And… how was she talking to Hikaru in the corner when… Hikaru was still unconscious on her bed? His head began to spin.

"_Mother don't… if I think there's even a chance he cares for me it'll make this even harder…_" the ghost Hikaru's voice was broken and full of pain. She sobbed quietly and shook her head. _"I can't…" _her voice faded, then she slowly followed suit, disappearing into thin air. The ghost woman sighed and turned to look the demon right in the eye.

"_Wake her up, and show her she doesn't need to leave or you'll lose her forever to her fear." _He stared as she, too, faded into shadows. He shook his head in confusion.

What the hell…?

).(

She could hear the shadows laughing at her. She hissed weakly and pulled herself further back into her mind. Then a bright light broke through the shadows, followed by a voice. A familiar, warm voice that made her heart swell. He was calling her name…

She started to answer, the shut her mouth and shut her eyes, turning away from the light. She couldn't go back yet… she had to wait until it was safe… she couldn't risk hurting him.

).(

"Hikaru… Hikaru wake up…" he had no idea what he was doing. As he watched her sleeping face, he remembered a story his father had told him.

Demons had the ability to enter another demon's, or in this case, half demon's, dreams. He struggled to remember how it worked. Then it came to him. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

).(

She was cornered by the shadows now, all of them laughing at her. She flattened her ears against her head and whimpered quietly.

"J-Just leave me alone-!" she cried, pressing closer to the walls of her mind. Then a light broke through the darkness once again, and the shadows fled. She looked up, tears staining her pale cheeks and gasped. A tall man, with long silver hair and golden eyes was walking toward her. She flinched away from him and scrambled sideways to escape. "N-no-" her voice trailed off when the man gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hikaru…?" he asked softly, looking her in the eye. She tried to look away, but there was something about his eyes that held her… something familiar… she shook her head and pulled back.

"Wh-who are you…?" she didn't know this man… she wanted to see the master… her master… her demon. She looked up pleadingly at the strange man, her eyes filling with tears once more. "t-tell him… tell him I'm sorry-…Th-that I tried…" she shook her head again and whimpered quietly.

He didn't understand what she was saying, or why she didn't know him. Pain shot through his chest at the thought of her forgetting him. He lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes once more.

"You know who I am Hikaru…" he whispered weakly, wishing he sounded stronger. Hating himself for sounding so weak. She shook her head, looking apologetically at him.

"I don't know you…" she said, her voice breaking. She wished desperately that this man was her demon… she sighed and shook her head. "No. I can't. I can't want that." She mumbled to herself. The strange man looked at her confused.

"Want what…?" he asked curiously. She blushed brightly and stared at her feet in embarrassment.

"I… I was hoping you were… someone else…" she said softly, looking ashamed. He frowned in confusion. "I… m-my … um…" she didn't know how to put into words what The master was to her… she sighed and went with the easiest answer. "my lord and master." She said, blushing lightly and smiling at his memory.

He barely hid a smile. She was smiling. Because of _him_. He stepped back and faded into shadow for a moment. She looked up, gasping.

"W-wait! D-don't… leave me…" she whimpered quietly. He was gone… there was a flash of light and she jumped. Then, out of the shadows, stepped the master. Her eyes widened and for a moment she was too shocked to move. Then she broke into a huge smile, then her smile faded and she took a step backward, her eyes fearful. "Oh no…" she whispered weakly.

"What's wrong?" he frowned and tilted his head to the side, his brow furrowing. He didn't understand. She'd said she wanted to see him didn't she…?

"Y-you can't be here-… Sh-she'll kill you!" she hissed quietly. She was trembling now. He growled softly. That damned vampire is what had her so scared. He turned around, to face the shadows.

"I'll fight her… she won't keep you hidden in here forever." He snarled darkly. He felt her hand on his side and turned to her. She had tears in her eyes.

"Please… j-just go…" she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I couldn't bear it if you were hurt because of me…" he flinched.

"I'm only here because you won't wake up Hikaru." He said stiffly. Now it was her turn to flinch.

"I can't yet… not until the full moon is gone." He growled softly. Two more nights of torture? No way in hell!

"You can't spend your life hiding from the world every time the full moon rolls around." He hissed through his teeth. She flinched again.

"What else can I do…? I can't fight her… I can't control her… all I can do is barely hold her back while the moon wanes. I won't let her kill again… I can't let her hurt you." Her voice quivered with fear. He growled. This monster… this vampire _bitch _was ruining Hikaru's life, and he couldn't do anything to stop her with out hurting Hikaru.

"You can wake up, and you can face her. Show her you're not weak. Show her you _can _fight." He growled. She shook her head and looked up at him.

"I'm not you. I'm not strong, I'm not brave and I'm definitely not able to fight off _her_." she sighed weakly and let her shoulders slump. "She's so much stronger then I am… how could I ever win against her?"

"_You're stronger then you think_." He felt an electric shock in his subconscious and fell backward, landing hard on his side beside her bed. He shook his head and growled. He'd been shoved out. That damned vampire had pushed him out!

That bitch was going to pay…

).(


	12. Hardship and HeartToHearts

Author's Note:

So, there ya go! Triple upload! Yes they're unedited, but I thought I'd be nice and let you guys read more… I do plan on editing and re-uploading these chapters later on, so please don't worry about it if the quality isn't as good as before… it's only because these chapters have not been touched by my editor's magical abilities yet.

).(

Chapter Ten

Hardship and heart-to-hearts

She stared in horror as the demon was forced back into the shadows and disappeared. She stood stalk still for a moment, and then turned to see her darker half smirking at her. She hissed quietly and took a small step back.

).(

"K-Kurai… wh...What did you do to him?" her voice rose with fear. She tried to swallow and nearly choked on the lump in her throat. Kurai laughed coldly, her icy-blue eyes flashing cruelly in the shadows. She flicked her silver ponytail over her shoulder and smirked.

"Threw him out. He has no business in here, stealing your fear from me." She hissed softly. Hikaru shuddered. Kurai laughed again. "But it's obvious he failed, or else you wouldn't still quake in fear at the sound of my voice." Hikaru shuddered again, she couldn't help herself. The icy tones of Kurai's voice made her heart freeze in fear.

"You didn't… hurt him did you?" she tried to sound strong, but her voice cracked on the last word and Kurai smirked again.

"Why should you care? You're not waking up anytime soon." She hissed again. Hikaru set her jaw and stood up tall, her shoulders trembling.

"I'm not going to let you make me a prisoner of my own mind Kurai. I'm going to wake up." Kurai snarled and lunged at her, fangs bared.

"Not if I can help it Kitty cat!"

).(

He picked himself up and shook his head to clear it. That was an interesting way to be woken up. He stiffened when he saw Hikaru's back arch out of the corner of his eye. His head snapped around to stare at her as a muffled cry of pain struggled to squeeze it's way through her locked lips. Blood pooled beneath her and she arched her back further whimpering.

She was slammed violently down onto the bed as blood began to seep through the front of her robe. Blood rolled down her chin as she coughed wetly. She was fighting… her head jerked violently to the side and the demon saw three gashes carved deeply into her cheek as though she'd been struck by long, jagged claws.

He leaned over her worriedly. She crossed her arms over her head and curled down towards her navel as more jagged gashes appeared on her thin, pale, arms. He shook his head in disbelief. She wasn't fighting, she was being mauled. He lightly pressed his cold nose against her bare shoulder. Her body jumped and she lurched forward, her eyes flying open. She landed in a heap on the floor.

She sat there, on her hands and knees, for a moment then sat up slowly. The bleeding had stopped… her wounds were gone. The only signs that showed she'd been hurt at all were the bloodstains on her robe and bed sheets. she shuddered violently, tears rolling down her cheeks. The threats Kurai had screamed at her…

She heard a quiet cough behind her and she turned quickly to stare wide-eyed, at the demon. He was hurt to see fear and sadness in her eyes as they met his. He flinched inwardly and growled softly.

She stared at him a moment longer, fear still evident in her expression. Was he hurt? She raked her eyes over what she could see of him, her shoulders trembling. Her heart unclenched in relief as she realized he was alright.

He wasn't hurt… Kurai hadn't hurt him-

"Do you hate me that much?" he asked coldly. She was _afraid _of him. Her face went blank as she stared at him.

"….what…?" she asked softly. He snarled.

"Do. You. Hate. Me?" he said slowly, a growl in his voice.

She paused in shock at his question. He growled when he realized she wasn't answering him and stormed out of the room. She gasped and raced after him.

"W-wait-!"

).(

He flopped down by one of the ponds and glared down at his reflection. He was angry with himself for scaring her like that, but he was angry with Hikaru for being afraid of him. He hated himself for making her hate him, and he hated her _for_ hating him. He growled at his reflection. He hated the way he looked and he hated the way she pitied him. he hated seeing her sad and he hated how she cried for everyone else. She pissed him off… and made him smile. He growled again and glowered angrily at his reflection.

She found him there, lying on his side and glowering at his reflection in the water. She walked over and stood beside him looking at the water and frowning.

"What'd the water do to you…?" she asked lightly, tilting her head. He twisted his head to look at her, starting to growl but biting it off when he realized who it was.

"What are you doing here…?" he growled softly, turning his head away. She walked around so she was looking him in the eye again.

"You ran off before I could answer your question." She said, smiling gently. He felt his cheeks burn under his fur. He growled and turned his head away again. She sighed. "For the record, I _don't _hate you," She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. "Your question caught me off guard, which is why I paused." He turned to look at her, watching her closely for any signs of a lie. She was telling the truth. He sighed inwardly and lay his head back down.

"Fine, you answered me." He said glaring at the water again. She sat down against his side and leaned back into his fur. He stiffened and turned to look at her. "What are you doing?" he snorted at her. She chuckled and leaned forward again, away from his side. He frowned when he realized with out her against him he felt cold.

"Getting your attention away from the poor water, I highly doubt it did anything worthy of the death glares you're shooting it." She said teasingly. He sighed. He couldn't stay mad with her trying to cheer him up, it was impossible. He shook his head at her.

"That was really bad. You know that right?" she giggled and nodded.

"But it worked!" she said, pulling her legs up against her chest. He sighed again and shifted, pulling her between his front paws. She squeaked in surprise when her right shoulder bumped his left one. She blushed maroon when he wrapped his head around her legs and rested his muzzle on his paw. "S-so um… Why… why were you glaring at your reflection…?" she asked shyly. She was afraid of making him angry, he could tell. He shrugged his shoulders lightly, bumping her and making her squeak again.

"Because I'm not supposed to be this…_thing. _I'm supposed to be good looking and…not _furry_." He grumbled. "And a person running away in fear at the way you look gets old. I want people to fear my strength." Hikaru blinked and smiled gently, inspiration dawning in her eyes. She leaned back against his shoulders, curling into him and closing her eyes.

"You don't frighten me… I think you're a very handsome demon." She felt herself blush but forced it down, praying this was working. "Besides, being furry makes you a great pillow!" she snuggled closer, then frowned when she felt him stiffen and started pulling away, afraid she upset him, but he shifted his head and pushed her back against him.

"I don't frighten you…?" he sounded confused. Hikaru smiled and curled against him shaking her head.

"Can I tell you something…? And you have to promise not to get angry." She said sternly. The demon snorted but nodded. She smiled. "First time I saw you the first thing I thought of when I looked at you was," she ran a hand gently through his chest fur, her expression sad. "My first thought was 'he looks lonely'… and… 'I know how he feels'…" her voice trailed off and she hid her face in his fur. He blinked in slight surprise at what she'd said.

"I looked lonely to you?" his confused tone had doubled. "I was glaring and snarling at you… how the _hell _did I look lonely?"

"Your eyes. No matter how angry or happy you try to be… the lonely look stays in your eyes until you don't feel lonely any longer." She pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed, resting her cheek against his and closing her eyes. "I don't want you to feel lonely any more…" she whispered softly, sending a sharp chill through the demon's body.

"And what about you?" his voice held a slight growl. She was doing it _again_! "You're _not_ lonely?" Hikaru shook her head, confusing him again. She nuzzled into his cheek and mumbled against his fur almost too softly for him to hear;

"Not any more…" he felt a warm rush flow through him, and then she gasped, choked on his fur, and the moment was gone. He looked down at her worriedly.

"Are you alright?" he asked gruffly, trying to disguise the worry in his voice. She nodded weakly, coughing.

"Y-yeah, I just… I remembered something I wanted to ask you." She coughed lightly. He waited for her to ask. "If… if you don't want to answer you don't have to, but I have to ask… why _do _you keep the portrait of your parents covered…?" she cringed, waiting for him to start growling… for him to get angry. He sighed heavily and turned his head away.

"My father's the one who cursed me to look like this, and then he went and got himself killed in battle. My mother abandoned us when I was young. I've never seen her in person." He felt Hikaru flinch into his shoulder and he turned to look at her. She had tears in her eyes, but she was trying not to cry. She bit her lip and ducked her head to keep him from seeing. He sighed.

"I… I don't know what to say…" she mumbled softly, knowing that an 'I'm sorry' wouldn't be the right thing to say in this situation. He blinked at her then shifted his head closer to her, brushing his cheek against hers lightly and wiping away a stray tear.

"Then don't say anything." He sighed heavily and blew ripples across the surface of the pond.

"B-but… you know… hating them isn't the answer…" her voice was quiet. He looked at her frowning. "I understand being angry…but… at least you have a picture of them, at least you have memories." She pulled her knees closer to her chest and looked away sadly. "Treasure them… no matter how angry you are. Those memories are precious things." He flinched.

That was right… she lost her parents and her home before she was old enough to really remember them….

"How do you do it…?" he couldn't keep the amazement out of his voice. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

"How… do I do what?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"How do you…" he frowned, trying to find the right way to word it. "You're always smiling, always cheering people up. But your parents are gone, you were a slave for God knows how many years of your life, you've been-" he couldn't say the last part aloud. She stared up at him in fear, she knew what he meant. "How do you keep smiling…?" he shook his head in disbelief at her.

"I do it for them…" she looked up at the bright blue sky and sighed heavily. Her eyes were distant. "did you know I had a twin…?" she looked over at him, smiling sadly. He blinked in surprise and shook his head.

"He was twenty minutes younger then me… Used to call me Karu-Chan." She giggled, tears in her eyes. "he used to get picked on, by the servant kids, for being a half demon… one day he tried to stand up for himself and they started throwing rocks at him…" she pulled the sleeve of her kimono back to show him a long jagged scar on her right shoulder. she traced it lightly with her fingers. "one of the boys… had a knife. I saw, and stopped him before he could do anything, but… my brother never forgave himself for letting me get hurt." She sighed and let the sleeve drop again. "I was stronger… only because I had to be. Because I wanted him to be happy no matter what." She looked back up at the sky. "and that's why I smile…" The demon stared at her.

This girl… she was a half demon… she never fought back… she was _female_… and yet… she had a hidden strength that not even she could see… He would have never been able to do what she did. Though he'd never admit such a thing out loud.

).(

They'd spent the entire afternoon swapping stories, sharing memories and secrets, and watching the clouds. The demon watched in amusement as Hikaru fell asleep, while still telling him a story about her twin and herself getting stuck in a well. He waited a while, watching her peaceful face as she slept against his shoulder. as he watched her, the memory of her fitful nightmares after she'd been hurt, flashed through his mind. He frowned and watched her more closely; worried she would have a similar fit now.

But no, she was sleeping soundly, a light smile on her lips. She was happy…

He shook his head, bent his neck and shifted her onto his back. Carefully he carried her into her room, ignoring the stares the servants gave as he passed. He gently rolled her into bed and pulled the blanket over her with his teeth. He stepped back, and suddenly felt less warm then he had just moments ago. He frowned then took the two steps forward and rested his nose against the edge of her bed and the warmth flooded through him once more. His frown deepened. What kind of power did this cat have over him?

).(

He stayed there, his nose lying lightly across her torso, his legs folded gently beneath him. he didn't know how long he'd been there, but before he'd realized it, the sky had darkened and then begun to lighten again. He stepped away from her, the warmth fading as he moved further away. He shook his head and left the room just as she began to stir.

).(

When he saw her again, she was standing in the garden, under a large sakura tree, a troubled look on her face. He walked over and sat beside her, waiting for her to notice him. after five minutes he grew bored and pushed her lightly with his nose, making her jump.

"What's wrong?" she stared at him, a hand on her chest, her eyes wide. He sighed and asked again; "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing I just… I can't remember what happened last night… K-Kurai…she…she didn't hurt anyone… did she?" Her voice was fearful. He growled softly. That vampire had Hikaru living in constant fear of herself… he _hated _it.

"No. You slept soundly the whole night." He said stiffly, praying she didn't ask how he knew. She blinked at him in surprise.

"Y-You mean… sh-she didn't take control?" Her surprised expression made him smile to himself. She was… he was too proud to think it, but that traitorous little part of his mind, the one that didn't understand pride at all screamed it. _She looked cute_! He growled softly and she flinched. "S-Sorry…" he stared at her frowning.

"Why are you apologizing?" His voice was gruff. He mentally flinched at the sound of it. She shifted and drew a half circle in the dirt with the tip of her shoe.

"I-I made you angry again… didn't I?" she mumbled, staring at the ground. He stiffened, then growled mentally at himself. She _was _afraid of him… of his anger. She bit her lip and put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes shining with worry. "A-are you alright…?"

"Of course I'm alright," he struggled to keep his tone soft. He wouldn't scare her again. "And you weren't the one who made me angry, I was." She tilted her head to the side, looking confused.

That little part of his mind jumped happily and started screaming at him again. _She's cute! Keep her!_ He shook his head.

"Don't do that…" he groaned at Hikaru, turning his head away. She frowned.

"D-Do what…?" she asked, still confused.

"Make that face…" he muttered, ignoring the protests from that little part of his mind that was starting to get on his last nerve. She blushed and stared at her feet, looking embarrassed.

"S-sorry… d-didn't mean to…" she mumbled quickly, blushing darker. He chuckled quietly. Ok, he'd admit it, for being a weak half-breed, she was… _cute_. There. He'd thought it. Maybe now that little part of his mind would shut up.

It didn't.

).(

"But master Ryuu, the master said to let him know once the meal was ready-!" the head cook cried. Ryuu slapped a hand over the older man's mouth and glared.

"Shh! Let them have their moment. If you disturb them they may never have another one!" he hissed quietly. The cook's eyes widened and he nodded, turning his head to watch the two sitting outside.

).(

Hikaru sat down by their pond and leaned back on her hands, tilting her head towards the sky and closing her eyes.

"Mmmm… the sun feels wonderful…" her tail swished behind her happily. Her right ear twitched lightly every once in a while. The demon smiled watching her. A light breeze lifted her long braid off her shoulder and twisted it lightly in the air, playing with the loose strands and dropping it lightly once again.

She looked so relaxed. So at peace. He couldn't resist the temptation; he shoved her into the water with his nose.

She came up sputtering and glaring, looking, ironically, like a drowned rat. He shook his head chuckling. She smirked and threw water into his face. He blinked rapidly in surprise then growled playfully at her.

"You're gonna get it now, kitten!" he barked, un-able to hide the smile in his voice.

).(

Ten minutes later, his front half was completely soaked, from his ears to the pads under his front paws. Hikaru was laughing lightly at him, slipping on the murky bottom of the pond. She sighed in annoyance and glared at her kimono.

"this thing is too heavy to move in, at this rate I'm gonna drown." She sighed, hiding a smirk, and pulled her obi off, tossing it onto the shore, closely followed by her kimono. "much better!" she was now just standing there in her undergarments. The demon couldn't help it, he stared. His cheeks were blazing red hot under his soaked fur. He felt another burning feeling, deep in his stomach and stiffened.

Not _now_! She stretched and sank down into the water, splashing him again and snapping him out of his daze.

"stop staring off in to space and come have fun!" she called splashing him again. He blinked and chuckled, sinking his large paw into the water and shoving it toward her. A large wave rolled through the pond, knocking Hikaru onto her back. She came up coughing and laughing. He smiled lightly to himself. This was…fun…

).(


	13. Rescues and Returns

Author's note:

So, as an apology for the long wait for updates, I've decided to post a couple more chapters, but after these you guys have to wait until next week!

Several people have asked who Ryuu is supposed to represent… well… um… no specific character actually. I hadn't even really planned for him to be in the story. He just appeared and Hikaru wanted him to stay, so stay he did. I'm following the original version of the Beauty and the Beast story more than the Disney movie version, though some parts of this story were inspired by the Disney movie.

Disclaimer: I own neither the story, nor the movie. I don't own Sesshomaru either. But! If you ask _really _nice I might make you a Tee-shirt with Hikaru's picture on it! How does that sound? Tee hee, yes I had coffee before bed last night…

ON WITH THE STORY! :D

).(

Chapter Eleven

Roses and Rescues

He glowered down at the small boy, whose face was stained with tears.

"She's not coming back you little whelp! She's been bought! She's _gone_! So stop begging for me to bring her back!" and he raised his whip and brought it down. The whip wrapped firmly around a thick, manly, arm, and the slave trader snarled at Kaji angrily. "Move out of the way dammit!" he growled. Kaji ripped the whip from the trader's hands.

"Hikaru protected Ren while she was here, I'll not let you harm him now that she's gone." Kaji hissed, pulling the small boy to him protectively. The trader growled again, but slunk away. Kaji knelt down and grabbed Ren's shoulders, shaking him lightly. "You need to be more careful Ren! Crying and begging for Hikaru to come back will only get you into trouble! We all miss her, but if you got hurt she'd be sad." Ren flinched and nodded sadly, staring down at his feet.

"But I want her back…" he mumbled softly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand and hiccupping quietly. Kaji sighed.

"We all do Ren, but she's not coming back. She's got a home now, and a master." Kaji growled quietly at the idea of anyone _owning _Hikaru. _His _Hikaru.

"B-But Miss H-Hikaru promised! She… she said she'd be here for me and she's not!" Ren whimpered, fresh tears pouring down his cheeks. Kaji was getting annoyed now.

"Stop whining and wake up!" he snapped angrily, making Ren stiffen in fear. "She's _gone! _And she's _never _coming back for any of us! Get over it and grow up Ren!" he stood and stomped off, growling hatefully. She'd left him. He would never forgive her.

Ren hiccupped, whimpered and stared at the tree line…

"If she won't come back to me… then I'm going to her." And he raced into the trees, only one thought on his mind.

Hikaru…

).(

She giggled softly to herself as she watched Ryuu and the master shoveling snow off the main garden paths. She shook her head and turned back inside, going to her closet and pulling on a warm, winter kimono, tying the obi quickly. She walked out onto her balcony again, leaning her elbows on the rail. She closed her eyes as a light breeze licked her cheeks playfully. She purred softly at the feeling, her tail twitching happily.

Her eyes flashed open and her ears twitched. Someone was calling her name… a voice she hadn't heard in months. She leapt nimbly over the railing and landed with a soft thump on the snow covered ground below her window. She closed her eyes, concentrating on listening. Her ears strained for the tiniest sound. Then she heard it again. Her eyes flashed open and she raced into the trees...

"H-Hikaru-!" she turned sharply and slid to a stop. Before her stood four wolves, all of them circled around the base of a tall tree. In the center of them, lying still at the base of the tree, was a child. Hikaru's eyes went wide.

"Ren!" she bared her fangs and crouched down, hissing a challenge to the wolves. All but one of them turned to face her, all of them baring their fangs in answer to her call. The two thinnest charged her, barking and snapping as they lunged. She kicked one in the chin, sending it flying, and shot her arm out to block the other. It sank it's fangs into her arm and snarled. She threw it off, flinching when she heard it collide with a tree.

The second largest leapt at her next, shoving all four paws against her chest and throwing her to the ground as it sank it's fangs into her shoulder. She let out a half cry of surprise and shoved the wolf off, slashing it across the chest with her claws. It yelped in pain and raced away with its tail tucked between its legs. She turned and faced the last wolf standing, her ears flattened angrily against her head, her hair whipping in the wind like a long flaming tail. The wolf snarled, half in fear, half in rage, and backed closer to Ren, not wishing to lose its meal. Hikaru dove, hooking her arm under the wolf's belly and throwing it to the side. She twisted and crouched over Ren protectively, her tail wrapping comfortingly around the whimpering child's waist. The wolf snarled, howled its defeat, and a warning of revenge, then twisted and raced off after its friends.

Hikaru turned to scoop Ren up. The small boy hid his face in her chest and sobbed weakly, clutching the front of her kimono in his trembling hands. She rubbed his back gently and held him close, closing her eyes and resting her cheek against the back of his head.

"Shh, shh, it's alright little one… I'm here. You're safe now." She whispered softly, tears in her eyes. He pressed closer to her, gripping her kimono more tightly.

"I-I didn't think I-I would f-find you e-ever!" he sobbed, his whole body shuddering. She froze when she realized how cold he felt against her. "I-I m-missed y-you so m-much-!" he shuddered again, his voice growing softer, weaker… she gasped and raced back to the castle, clutching Ren tightly to her chest.

He was sick…

).(

He stared at the door to Hikaru's room in disbelief. She had locked herself in there after running back onto the castle grounds, clutching… something very small to her chest. It'd been three days! Why wasn't she coming out? He snarled at the thick piece of wood in his way. He could just break the damned thing down… but then Hikaru would be angry with him, and he really didn't want that… he hated when she became angry at him, she stopped talking to him. He growled at the door again. Infuriating cat-girl!

His ears pricked when he heard weak, ragged breathing. He stiffened. Was Hikaru sick…? He shook his head. No, no, she wouldn't lock herself in her room if _she _were sick… she wasn't _that _idiotic.

The door opened and Hikaru walked out, her face strained and worn. She looked much older… she pulled the door shut behind her and put a hand over her eyes, heaving a shuttering sigh. She looked up and blinked dully at him for a moment, before looking back down and heading toward the kitchens. He growled and followed her.

"Hikaru… dammit Hikaru look at me!" he leapt over her and spun around, blocking her way. She stopped and stared at him for a moment before glaring and clenching her hands into fists.

"Get out of the way…" her voice was tired, ragged and it was lined heavily with worry. He frowned and knelt to her level.

"Tell me what's wrong." She looked confused for a moment, then sighed and put her hand over her eyes again.

"A little slave boy I used to protect… he ran away from the slave trader… and he's dying…" her voice broke on the last sentence. The demon stiffened again. She loved the little boy… he could see it, clear as day… he stepped aside.

"How can we help?" she touched his shoulder as she walked past, sending a shiver through him, and shook her head.

"I need to get him medicine… I… I can't heal him..." she looked up at him, a tear rolling down her cheek. His heart wrenched. "I can't save him on my own…" he shook his head and wrapped his tail around her, pulling her to him, giving her his shoulder to cry on. She buried her face in his fur and shivered, sobbing quietly. He leaned his head down and rested his cheek against the side of her head in what he hoped was a comforting way.

"I'll send Ryuu to get the medicine right away." He whispered. Hikaru shook her head and pulled away, drying her eyes.

"No… I… I need to do this…" he stared at her numbly. she looked up at him pleadingly. "please… let me go get the medicine… I-It would take too much time to write down everything I need for Ren… it'd be easier if I went… please…?" she was asking to leave… something inside him shattered.

"I… o-of course…. Do you want an escort?" he couldn't refuse her… this child was the only family she had left… he could understand why she wanted to do this for him… after what she'd been through. Her eyes softened and she buried her face in his fur once more, for only a moment.

"Thank you… so much." She leaned up, kissed the side of his muzzle and raced back to her room to prepare for her journey.

).(

She came out of her room a short while later, dressed warmly and a bag over her shoulder for the medicine. She looked over at Ryuu and then turned her attention to the small servant girl standing beside him. She bowed stiffly to Hikaru and bit her lip lightly.

"This is Mei, she'll be watching over Ren for you while you're away." Ryuu explained quietly, glancing at the closed bedroom door. Hikaru's hand still rested on the door frame, her eyes full of worry. The worry ebbed slightly and she smiled at Mei gently.

"Thank you so much… I won't be long I promise." And she walked quickly to the door, her face set with determination. She broke into a nimble run as she reached the door, disappearing rapidly into the trees. The wind whipped around her, whistling loudly in her ears. She was so intent on reaching a village as soon as possible, she didn't hear the heart-wrenching howl that split the air as the castle faded from view, behind her.

).(

She ran for nearly five hours before she reached a village. She came to a stop at the outskirts of the small town, catching her breath and pulling out the small bag of money she'd been saving since she was small. Having been a slave, she didn't have much but she knew she had just enough to get Ren his medicine. She smiled lightly and strode quickly into the village, tucking the money back into her bag.

She walked into the Apothecary and over to the counter. The young man behind the counter looked up when he heard her come in the door and blushed shyly when he met her eyes.

"H-How can I help you m'lady?" he asked quietly, blushing darker when she smiled gently at him.

"It's… my son." She said, thinking quickly. She didn't notice when the young man's expression fell. "He's fallen ill with a horrible virus and I need special herbs to make his medicine, unfortunately our garden has been killed by the frost and…" her eyes darkened with worry. The young man nodded quickly and disappeared into a back room behind the counter. He came back shortly, holding a pouch of crushed herbs and a few bottles of medicine. He handed her the pouch and smiled softly.

"please come back if you need anything else dear lady." Hikaru held out her bag of money, but the young man shook his head. "a gift, for a beautiful lady." Hikaru blushed shyly and thanked the young man before bowing and stepping back outside, the pouch of medicine clutched tightly to her chest. She paused by the market, Ren would need plenty of broth to drink in order to get his strength back up… she quickly purchased ingredients for soup and broth, turned away from the market, spread her wings and took off into the sky. She flew faster then she could run anyway.

).(

He watched in silence, his eyes wide, as she took off into the sky. Her red hair whipping behind her gracefully, her wings shining in the late winter sun. She was alive… She'd come back… but now she was gone again.

Kaji slammed his fist against the wall of a hut and glared up at Hikaru's retreating form…

The next time she returned to the village… she wouldn't be leaving.

).(

She landed lightly outside the castle door, folding her wings painfully back into her back before rushing inside.

"Ryuu get some hot water ready! Mei-Chan, please get the bath ready for Ren; he'll need it to bring his fever down. Cook, please get this soup made for him, he'll need it." She handed her bag to the cook, and then rushed into the kitchen behind him to prepare the herbs. Mei disappeared up the stairs, quickly readying the bath for the small boy.

Ryuu watched as Hikaru swiftly crushed, mixed, boiled and stirred the herbs for Ren's medicine. She poured the piping hot mixture into a stone cup and placed it, on a tray, along with the extra medicine from the apothecary, and a bowl of broth, before picking the tray up and rushing upstairs with it.

Ryuu headed quickly down the hall in the opposite direction, knocking lightly on his master's chamber doors. He heard a low growl from inside and shook his head.

"Master, she's returned." The door slammed open, there was a rush of wind and Ryuu found himself on his back, blinking up at the ceiling. He chuckled lightly and got to his feet, following the sounds of his master's running paws.

).(

Awwww! He missed her! Isn't that cute? (Grin) I love Sesshie-Kun! (Blinks innocently at rabid Sesshie-fan-girls) um… you do realize that all of _you_ love Sesshie-Kun too… right? So um… why don't you kill each other…?

Rabid fan girls: (death glare) _we _don't have him falling in love with some made up half-demon cat girl bitch!

Oooooh…. Hey! Don't insult Hikaru-Chan! (Summons Naraku monkey) sick 'em boy!


	14. Flu and Frustration

Ok, so after all the heavy tragedy that's happened in this story, I decided to put a little, fun, chapter in to give everybody a break! (Evil grin) of course it was fun to write… the question is… will it be fun to read?

Disclaimer: feel sorry for Sesshomaru… this author is putting him through hell… in more ways then one.

HEY! (pout)

Disclaimer: fine fine… you guys know the drill. She doesn't own any Inuyasha characters. Though she does own some shiny buttons with pictures of said characters, and has them attached to a pillow case, tacked to her wall...

).(

Chapter Twelve

Flu's and Frustrations

He looked at the other slaves.

"We have to help her. She looked so… worn down. Her new master has to be working her to death!" Kaji's voice rose in anger at the situation. The other slaves glanced at each other.

"But what if she's actually happy and she was just tired from one of her nightmares…?" an elderly slave woman asked cautiously. Kaji glared at her.

"And what if she's actually suffering and you're just afraid to do anything?" he snarled, making the older slave flinch. Another slave stepped forward and put an arm around the elderly slave's shoulders.

"Kaji, just because we all wish Miss Hikaru were still with us, doesn't mean she's unhappy where she is." Kaji snarled again and walked away.

"You're all blind!"

).(

She gently placed a cold compress to Ren's forehead and sat back, leaning heavily on the armrest of the chair Ryuu had brought in for her. His condition had been stabilized, but it wasn't changing. He wasn't getting better, but at least he wasn't getting worse either. She sighed and covered her eyes with her hand. There was a soft knock at the door and she looked up.

"Come in…" she called quietly. The door opened and there was a moment of silence, then a short struggle and the demon came stumbling into the room, glaring over his shoulder as the door was shut behind him. He growled softly at the door before turning to her. She blinked and started giggling quietly into her hands.

"How's he doing?" the demon asked quietly, glancing over at the lump in Hikaru's bed warily. He didn't understand why… but having Hikaru spend all her time taking care of that kid, was making him feel… jealous…

"No change…" she said softly, her eyes shifting to the bed as well. He watched her as she leaned forward to adjust the boy's cold compress. His mind began to wander… a little pup with green eyes and silver hair… being doted on by his mother… he shook his head and mentally slapped himself.

_Don't think like that you moron!_ The small, traitorous part of his mind protested and tried to force the images back into view. He shook his head and sighed. She looked up at him, her hands hovering over the boy's blanket.

"Are you alright?" he blinked in surprise then nodded, shifting slightly so he could see the boy's face better.

"Just thinking." Then he smirked to himself and decided to try something. "feeling a tad bit jealous of the attention he's getting." He watched as a string of emotions passed across Hikaru's face. First confusion, then realization and then her cheeks burned crimson. He smiled to himself.

"J-jealous?" she stuttered, her cheeks burning darker. He chuckled. He thought quickly, wondering if the truth were the best path in this case. He decided against it. "He gets a mother, something I never got." He leaned down and rested his chin on the foot of the bed, watching Hikaru out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes softened and she looked down, her expression sad.

"S-Sorry…" she mumbled. He snorted and turned to look at her.

"Don't be. Really, there's no point." He nosed the blankets up closer to the boy's sides. "Anyway, he's the one who needs a mother now." He leaned over and put his muzzle right next to Hikaru's ear. "I'll need one later." He whispered huskily, watching as she shuddered and blushed again.

"h-huh…?" her voice rose in surprise, her face glowing crimson. He chuckled, secretly disappointed at her reaction. She looked up at him, her cheeks still glowing red, her eyes confused. He sighed. She was so… innocent.

"Nothing." Hikaru frowned, but didn't press. He sighed again and lay his head back on the bed, tilting it to watch the small boy's breathing. It was times like this he wished he were back in his other form… of course then she'd probably be too afraid to come near him… he groaned and closed his eyes. Bad idea.

The images of her in the pond, stripped down to nothing but her undergarments, and when he'd walked in on her in the bath flooded his mind, making his body feel too hot. He groaned again and stood, walking stiffly out of the room. Hikaru started after him worriedly. He turned to her and strained not to picture her the way his mind was trying to picture her…

"I'm going to go take a bath… I'll come back to check on the two of you later." And with that he raced off down the hall, his mind flashing rapidly through thoughts he almost wished weren't there.

).(

He sank deeper into the hot water, willing it to work. It didn't. He growled and glared down at the steaming bath water.

"Start working… start working dammit!" he snarled and got out of the bath, shaking himself semi dry. "fine… then I'll try another way." And with that he determinedly walked towards the doors.

).(

Hikaru looked up when the bedroom door opened once more, and blinked in confusion as Ryuu walked in, his eyes lit up with laughter, his bottom lip jammed between his teeth in an attempt not to laugh out loud.

"Ryuu…?" he shook his head at her.

"It's nothing m'lady." He muttered breathlessly, the situation was much too funny. Hikaru shook her head and sighed, turning back to Ren. Both Ryuu and Hikaru glanced up toward her window in surprise, when they heard the master muttering. Hikaru was the first to reach the glass pane, tilting her head to look out at where the master stood, shin deep in the icy snow. Ryuu was leaning over her head to watch, his eyes sparkling with laughter once more. They both watched, one in amusement, the other in concern, as the giant dog-demon walked over to the half frozen lake, dipped his nose in the icy water and jumped nearly three feet into the air.

A shiver ran down his spine at the temperature of the water. This had better work…

Hikaru's eyes widened as she watched the demon take a deep breath, and dive into the lake. There was a moment of silence, then the air was split by a loud howl.

"_it's co-old!_" Hikaru growled softly, her eyes narrowed. Ryuu barely bit back a wave of laughter. His poor master. Hikaru stalked over to the door, yanking it open and slamming it shut behind her. Ryuu waited a moment, giving her time to get out of hearing range, before breaking down in hysterics.

Hikaru paused in the middle of the hall way, listening in confusion to Ryuu's laughter. She sighed, shook her head and ran out the door onto the castle grounds, her eyes narrowed angrily once more.

When she reached the lake-shore she reached out and grabbed the only part of the demon's body with-in reach… his ear. She yanked, heard him yelp and made him look at her.

"If you get yourself sick… I'm _not _taking care of you until Ren is better. _Do you hear me_?" she released his ear and walked back to the castle, her tail twitching angrily behind her. The demon watched her walk away a look of utter confusion on his face.

"When did… oh right… I did say I wanted her to play "mommy" for me…" he shook his head and sighed. At least his main problem had been taken care of.

For now…

).(

Well! I hope you liked it! I'm so mean to poor Sesshie-Kun… (Sniffle) but it'll get better I swear! And…then it'll get worse… and then better again…and then worse again…and… (glances nervously at angry readers) I'm…gonna die now aren't I…?

Disclaimer: you can't kill her if you want the rest of the story!


	15. Pleasures and Pains

).(

Ho-Kay! So… Seven chapters to go and this story is DONE! Yay? Wait… I don't want it to be over so soon! But-! But-! Whaaaa! (bangs head on desk) WHY? But… then I can start on a new story! (laughs hysterically) but this is my baby-! (Sobbing as she's dragged away by men in white coats)

Disclaimer: … see what I have to live with? … (Exhausted sigh) well… at least with a padded room she can't hurt herself… I don't think… (Glances nervously after the men) um… yeah she-doesn't-own-Sesshomaru-bye! Wait up guys! (Races after the others)

).(

Chapter Thirteen

Pleasure and Pain

"And this is the Library." Ryuu said softly, cradling Ren against his chest carefully. The tiny boy's fever had broken slightly, and Hikaru had deemed him well enough to be taken out of the room, as long as he didn't over exert himself. Ryuu had decided that now would be a good time to show the newest member of their odd little family what the castle looked like. Ren's eyes sparkled.

"I bet Ma-_Miss _Hikaru likes to come in here all the time… huh?" Ren reached his tiny hand out shakily to touch one of the books near the door. He smiled broadly. Ryuu blinked and nodded.

"She does, she's working on alphabetizing them all actually." Ren giggled and curled closer to Ryuu as a cool breeze wafted though the castle from the open door.

"Sounds like Ma-Miss Hikaru alright…" Ryuu watched in confusion as the small boy berated himself silently. After a moment he settled down again and Ryuu chuckled.

"Hungry yet little one?" he chuckled again when Ren nodded, acting as enthusiastically as his still weakened body would allow. Ryuu headed to the kitchen, blinking in surprise when he walked in and found both Hikaru _and _the Master sitting near one of the wood burning stoves. He blinked again when he realized the Master was growling, and Hikaru was leaning inside the stove, talking softly. What on earth…? Hikaru's head popped out of the stove and she glared up at the master, soot marks on her cheeks and nose. Ryuu smiled when he saw a flash in his Master's eyes. He knew that look…

"Stop growling, you're scaring him!" she hissed softly. The master stiffened then grumbled under his breath.

"Well if the damned thing hadn't gotten himself _stuck _in my kitchen I wouldn't _be _scaring him, would I?" he snapped back. Hikaru pushed his nose away and shook her head at him, her tail twitching angrily. She leaned back into the stove, started to speak again, then squealed and jumped, bashing her shoulders against the top of the stove doorframe.

"o-ow …" she whimpered, her body going limp, her head still stuck inside the stove. The Master leaned over her worriedly.

"What's happened?"

"You scared him…" she came out clutching a tiny squirrel demon to her chest. The poor thing was trembling like a leaf in a tornado, it's tiny face buried against Hikaru's chest. Ren slid from Ryuu's arms and walked over carefully, his legs shaking. He leaned over the tiny creature and blinked.

"He's not hurt is he…?" the tiny boy's voice was soft and gentile. He didn't want to frighten the little demon any more than it already was. The squirrel turned to look up at him wide-eyed.

"He's wrenched his paw, see how swollen it is?" Hikaru whispered back, gently stroking the squirrel's right foreleg. The tiny paw was swollen and red. Ren nodded slowly then blinked up at Hikaru.

"You can fix it though right…?" The demon watched the two of them. He frowned. The little child had such faith in Hikaru… did he not understand what happened when she used her healing power…? He shook his head. Stupid question. Of course he didn't know! Hikaru wouldn't let him find out about _that_… Hikaru smiled gently at Ren and kissed his forehead. She stood slowly, still cradling the squirrel to her chest.

"Of course I can, come on, you can help me." She held her hand out to Ren, who reached up and clasped it between both of his own. The two of them walked slowly down the hall to where Ren's new room had been made up. The demon growled.

"Now there's two of them stealing her from me!" he snarled under his breath, following Hikaru and Ren out of the kitchen. Ryuu blinked, and started laughing.

"What else could happen between those two?" He laughed at the ceiling, walking slowly out of the kitchen and heading after his Master, who'd gone down the hall toward his chambers.

).(

"…and then you wrap it like this, and see? He doesn't look like he's in much pain anymore, does he?" The demon had his ear pressed to Ren's bedroom door, listening as Hikaru and Ren tended to the tiny squirrel. He heard Ren's excited gasp and a tiny squeak. His heart jumped when he heard Hikaru's quiet, bell-like giggling.

"He likes you Ren." There was laughter ringing in her voice. He heard Ren laughing quietly and the rustle of little paws on cloth.

"Can I keep him? Please?" there was a pause, then more laughter.

"Of course you can Ren." Hikaru chuckled. A shiver ran down his spine. Something about her laughter… it… made him feel _warm_, like when she'd been leaning against his side by the pond… it was so strange.

"Hmn… I'm gonna call him… Risu*." The demon blinked. He stiffened when he heard Hikaru's quiet giggling. The squirrel was squeaking excitedly. It seemed he liked the name…

"It suits him." Hikaru giggled again. They were so much like a family… he suddenly felt lonely and cold… he wanted to be inside the room, with them… laughing… he shook his head and walked away.

_Stop thinking like that, idiot. Thoughts like that make you _weak_! She's just a half-cat and he's just a human brat! Stop wanting to be… with…them…_ but he couldn't stop… he wanted to be in there with them… and he couldn't be… he sighed heavily.

Why did he always have to be alone…?

).(

"Can I keep him? Please?" Ren begged. Hikaru reached out and stroked the squirrel lightly under the chin and laughed when the tiny creature attempted to purr.

"OF course you can Ren." Hikaru chuckled, watching as Ren stared at the squirrel intently.

"Hmn… I'm gonna call him… Risu." Ren said happily. Hikaru giggled quietly. The squirrel bounced on Ren's shoulder, squeaking excitedly.

"It suits him." Hikaru giggled again. She blinked and looked up at the door, worry flashing in her eyes. The master…? Why… why was he so… sad? She put a hand over her chest, her heart breaking as loneliness and sadness flooded her mind. How… how was she sensing this? she shook her head. It didn't matter how she was feeling what he was feeling, what mattered was that he was feeling this way…

"Miss Hikaru…?" Ren touched her shoulder gently. "A-Are you ok…?" she turned to smile lightly at him and nodded.

"I um… need to go help Ryuu set up for dinner… I'll be back soon with your soup alright?" she gently kissed Ren's forehead, then kissed Risu between his tiny ears and walked out of the room, her eyes darting to the left as she walked out the door.

She raced down the hall, her eyes darting from side to side checking every room she passed. She stumbled to a stop outside the library. There he was, sitting by the window, his muzzle resting on the window seat. She felt her heart break once more at the sight… he looked so… she shook her head, set her face into a gentile but determined smile and walked up behind him, reaching up and scratching his ear gently. He jumped under her hands, momentarily leaned into the touch then pulled back to look at her in confusion. She smiled gently and knelt down beside him, placing her tiny, pale hand, over his gigantic silvery paw.

They sat for what seemed like hours, not speaking, just relaxing in one another's company. After a bit, Hikaru reached up and gently rubbed the master's ear again. She felt him tilt his head toward her hand and smiled lightly, continuing to massage his ear, keeping her other hand over his paw. She sensed his heart lightening and smiled again.

He twisted his head around to look at her, when she pulled her hand away. She was staring at the door wide-eyed, her cheeks flushed crimson. He turned and stared. Standing there, watching them was Ryuu, a knowing smile on his face. Hikaru blushed darker and hid her face in the master's neck fur, whimpering softly in embarrassment. Ryuu chuckled lightly, turned and walked out again, pulling the library door shut behind him.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then the demon shifted and turned back to the window, his heart heavy once more. Hikaru sighed and looked at him worriedly. She moved to touch his shoulder, but was stopped when a sharp pain shot through her body. She pulled back, curling into herself and winced. The pain shot through her again, making her whimper softly.

The demon turned to look at her, his eyes flashing with worry. He watched as she curled tighter into herself, wrapping her arms tightly around her navel and bending over, her hair pouring over her left shoulder and pooling in front of her knees. Her eyes were tight with pain, her body convulsed violently and she cried out, lurching forward. He leapt to her side, landing awkwardly on his left forepaw. Her back shuddered and convulsed again. She growled and set her jaw, her fangs piercing the soft skin of her bottom lip and drawing blood.

"What's happening Hikaru?" he towered over her, afraid to touch her, afraid to leave her to find help. She shook her head and lurched forward again, coughing up blood.

"D-Don't…w-worry… i-it's just… K-Kurai-!" she was cut off by another violent coughing fit. She shuddered once more, then lay still, breathing heavily, tears of pain pouring down her cheeks. He stared at her in horror.

What kind of monster was hiding inside her innocent heart…?

).(

She stared at the darkness for a moment, not registering where she was. She blinked and shifted and pain flooded through her, making her cry out and curl into a little ball. The pain slowly ebbed away, and she sensed someone standing over her. She knew who it was, and she didn't want to face her. She curled up tighter and shut her eyes, hoping that maybe… just maybe… Kurai would just walk away and leave her alone… but she was never that lucky.

Kurai yanked Hikaru roughly to her feet and slammed her against a wall of shadow. She leaned in close and snarled in Hikaru's face, her eyes flashing blood red.

"What makes you _think_ you have the _right _to get that close to that _bastard_, hmn? Do you _honestly_ believe I would _ever _let you have any close friends? You're lucky I let you keep that boy near you, don't push it." She hissed dangerously. Hikaru flinched and shrank back, her whole body trembling.

"P-Please Kurai… he…h-he's lonely I just-" Kurai backhanded Hikaru sharply across the cheek, pointedly dragging her claws across the pale skin. Hikaru's head slammed against the wall and she winced heavily.

"_don't you dare start that damned sniveling again_. You _know _what happens when you try to get close to people… or do I have to remind you again…?" Kurai flexed her claws and smirked. "I could always kill _your little pet boy_ to remind you who's _really_ in charge of your mind." She smirked as Hikaru's eyes widened.

"N-No d-don't hurt him!" she grabbed Kurai's hand and held it at chest level, tears rolling down her cheeks. "H-he's just a child Kurai please!" Kurai laughed and shoved Hikaru away, turning and disappearing into the shadows.

"Don't defy me, and the little brat will be fine." Her voice echoed around the darkness eerily. Hikaru sank to her knees and shuddered.

"Wh-why…?" she sobbed brokenly.

).(

He paced beside her bed, watching her closely. His mind was flooded with fear and thoughts of _her_. Her heart was barely beating, and stuttered weakly. Her breathing had all but stopped. Why did this keep happening? He snarled and slashed his paw across the nearest wall, tearing through the thin wood and leaving a gaping hole, through which the hallway could be seen quite clearly.

Ryuu came into the room and shook his head at the hole.

"Master, why don't you go get some rest? I'll watch over her and wake you if anything changes." He asked tentatively. The master started to snarl, then sighed and nodded. He wouldn't be any help… he had a feeling all of this was some how his fault. He walked slowly out of the room, glancing at her one last time before going to his chambers and sinking down onto his bed. He was exhausted.

Ryuu pulled a small stool over beside the bed and sat down. He watched Hikaru's chest rise and fall weakly, and frowned. She couldn't leave the master… not like this… he just knew she was the one who would make things better… she had to be the one.

).(

The silence of the castle was shattered by loud, heart wrenching screams of pure terror, laced with sobs and the sound of someone begging and pleading. Ryuu leaned over Hikaru, his eyes wide with fear, and bloodshot with weariness. He'd been half asleep when she'd begun screaming, and now his mind was filled with terror. What was happening?

The demon burst into the room, his mind focused on one thing… Hikaru was in pain. He leaned over the bed and frowned. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her shoulders, her back was arched and tears were streaming down her cheeks. She let out another loud shriek, followed by a broken sob.

"P-Please- sto-stoppit! D-don't hurt them _please_-! _NO_!" she screamed again. His mind went blank. Then flashed to the day at the pond… she'd slept soundly then… maybe… he bit his lip. It was the only thing he could think of to help her. He moved closer to the side of the bed and rested his muzzle lightly over her legs. For a moment her body stiffened, then went lax and she fell heavily onto the bed. Her body shuddered with one final sob, and she fell silent, curling into his fur and sniffling softly. He sighed and curled his head around her protectively. It seemed what ever power Kurai held over her, he could suppress it…

"M-Momma… D-Daddy…" her voice broke sadly against his fur. He stiffened. "I-I'm…s-sorry…" she sighed and drifted into a deep sleep, her heavy breathing the only sound in the room…

He was going to kill that damned vampire….

).(

Ok I wish to apologize in advance for the… not so fluffy chapter, I don't do fluff very well, I'm not… a fluffy person. (Sad sigh) but then again, this story wasn't really meant to be fluffy… it was meant to be a good read, hopefully not too many of you are disappointed by the lack of… um… mushiness. Let me know what you think! Review! (Bounces) oh! And before I forget, Risu, means Squirrel ironically enough. Apparently little Ren doesn't have much of an imagination. (snort) oh well!


	16. Touch and Torture

Oh my goodness! Already on chapter fourteen! Six chapters to go! How are you guys enjoying the story so far…? Please tell me you like it? (waterfall tears) I really hope you do… I worked hard on it…

Disclaimer: I don't think they care… (rolls eyes) Sesshomaru isn't mine, and he never will be… (sad sigh) too bad…

).(

Chapter fourteen

The sky began to lighten and his head shot up. He sighed and stood, watching with a slight smile as she began to stir. Seemed she'd slept fine once he was there…

"Master…?" Ryuu's head appeared in the door way. "The young boy, Ren, is awake, and he's asking for you." The demon smiled again and followed Ryuu out of the room.

"Tell him I'll be there shortly. I need to go to my chambers for a moment."

).(

She stretched stiffly as she walked down the hall. She couldn't remember anything that had happened the night before… not even getting into her bed. She shook her head and sighed. She seemed to black out more often the angrier Kurai became… she prayed silently no one had been hurt.

She walked past Ren's room and paused when the sound of laughter floated through the slightly open door. She blinked. Why was Ren laughing…? He should be resting and trying to get better. She walked to the door and peered through the crack.

Her eyes widened in amused surprise at the sight she found.

The demon was sitting at the foot of Ren's enormous bed, his nose hovering inches over a large game board. Ren was lying on his stomach, staring down at his own side of the board, his eyes lit up in joy.

"why'd you make _that _move?" he asked giggling into his hands. The demon shrugged.

"was it a bad one?" the demon's voice was awkward, as if he were trying to hide the smile that was dancing inside it. Hikaru blinked and smiled. Ren was glaring playfully up at the demon's large nose.

"you're letting me win again… don't!" the little boy whined, before shifting one of the pieces on the board and watching as the demon considered his move. Hikaru giggled quietly into her hand and continued to watch them, her heart growing warm as she watched the demon playing with Ren whole-heartedly.

After the board game (naturally Ren "Won") they decided to play a guessing game. Hikaru watched intently, trying to learn the ways of the game.

"Scary." Ren said, his eyes focusing on the wall behind the demon, in an attempt to make his expression emotionless. The demon thought for a moment, watching the boy's face.

"… Hmn… a man?" he tried, his eyes uncertain. The small boy nodded, his eyes still focused on the wall. The demon nodded slightly too and thought harder. He tried to think of what it could be… then it clicked. "Slave-trader." He said confidently. Ren giggled and nodded.

"Your turn dad- err… I-I mean-... I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean…" Ren stuttered his eyes wide. Hikaru frowned. The demon chuckled and nuzzled the boy's cheek lightly with his muzzle.

"It's fine, call me what you like. I don't mind." And he truly didn't. He'd heard Ren telling Ryuu how Hikaru was like the mother he'd always wished for. So if the boy thought of the master as his father, maybe… he shook his head. _Stop thinking like that!_

"Y-you mean… I can call you papa?" Ren asked shyly, snapping the demon out of his thoughts. The demon nodded and tickled Ren's stomach with his nose. Ren laughed and hugged the silvery muzzle tightly, hiding his face in the demon's cheek. "Papa…"

Hikaru felt tears of joy fill her eyes. Ren had a papa now… she brushed the tears away, her heart flooded with warmth once more. The demon… he was being so kind… so gentile. She bit her lip lightly and smiled as she watched the two playing.

"It's still your turn to go papa." Ren bounced excitedly on the bed. The demon chuckled and thought.

"Cute." He said quickly, his eyes sparkling. Ren thought for a moment.

"Kitten?" it was more of a statement then a question, the questioning tone added on as if as an after thought. The demon nodded. Ren bounced again. "Mama Hikaru!" he squealed happily. Hikaru stiffened, thinking for a moment she'd been spotted, then as the demon turned his head toward the window as though he were blushing, she realized Ren had been guessing the answer… she blushed maroon.

The demon thought she was…c-cute…?

).(

He growled in frustration and raised his whip once more, bringing it down roughly over an elderly slave's back.

"Don't you _ever _even _dream _of defying me like that again you annoying piece of shit!" he barked. Kicking the cringing slave in the side. He stalked off into his tent and paced. Ever since he'd sold Hikaru… he'd been more irritable than usual. He wanted his old toy back… he smirked. He would get his old toy back… he just had to find her. He grabbed the dagger he kept in his money pouch and left his tent heading straight for the trees.

This wouldn't take long at all…

).(

He didn't want to do it… but he had no choice. He didn't want to hurt Ren or Hikaru… or any of the servants. He had to go hunting. He looked at the rising sun and nodded. It would only take him until this evening if he stayed close and was very careful. He glanced down at Hikaru's sleeping form and sighed.

"I'll be back soon… I promise." He breathed softly, touching his nose lightly to her hand. She blushed lightly and shifted, rolling onto her side and facing him. He froze for a moment, fearing she'd woken up. He relaxed once he realized her breathing was still deep and her eyes still closed. He turned to her balcony doors, nosed them open and leapt onto the ground. He turned and pushed the doors shut once more with his muzzle and raced away.

He had to hunt… he _had _to…

).(

He tilted his head back and smirked. He'd found it without a problem. Now he could take back what he wanted, and leave. Perfect. He slipped through the gates silently and darted around to the back of the castle. He had to find the little bitch's room… he looked in the first window he came to and ducked down once more, when he saw a servant. He cursed quietly. Not that one. He moved to the next one. Nope. He growled. He continued to peek into windows until he came to a room where the balcony doors were wide open. He peered through the opening and saw Hikaru and Ren walking out of the room, Hikaru carrying an armful of laundry. He smirked. He'd found her…

He waited for the door to close behind them, counted to ten then climbed onto the balcony and walked through the doors. He slipped behind the changing screen in the corner and leaned against the wall to wait. He smirked to himself at the thought of the fun he would have once Hikaru returned…

).(

"Sleep tight Ren, I'll come check on you soon, alright?" she smiled and kissed Ren's forehead lightly. The small boy giggled and nodded, snuggling deeper into his blankets.

"Love you mama Hikaru…" he mumbled, closing his eyes. She smiled and stroked his cheek gently.

"Love you too honey." She whispered softly, backing out of the room and pulling the door shut quietly behind her. She smiled to herself and sighed. "Love you too…" she turned and walked down the hall toward her room. She ran a hand through her bangs as she walked through her bedroom door. She paused to light a lamp and walked over to her balcony and leaned on the railing. "Wonder when he'll be back…" she sighed again, her eyes shifting downward. She didn't like him being gone… The castle felt… Empty without him. She sighed again, doodling absentmindedly on the balcony railing with her finger.

Her mind wandered, through her first days at the castle, to the return of the master from his long 'hunting trip', to their moments together, to the master playing with Ren. Her cheeks flushed lightly and she smiled softly, her heart swelling. She knew he'd had kindness in him… And now he was showing it, toward Ren, who needed a father figure, the most.

She was jerked roughly back to the real world when a strong arm wrapped around her waist, and a rough hand came down over her mouth to muffle her screams. She stiffened and struggled, her eyes wide in fear. She felt hot breath against her cheek.

"Guess who, bitch…" she stiffened, going pale, as she recognized the voice… she tried to shake her head, but the hand over her mouth held her in place. The slave driver smirked and pulled Hikaru backward toward the bed, his arm around her waist tightening when she tried to struggle once more. "Don't even try it. If you do what I say, everything I say, I won't have to hurt little Ren, and I'll go away and never come back." He breathed against her cheek. She shuddered in fear and a small whimper escaped her lips. The slave driver smirked wider.

He had her…

).(

She curled into herself, her whole body aching. The slave driver stood over her, along the side of the bed, his yukata in his hands, his pants already on. He smirked down at her and laughed harshly.

"you're just as fun as I remember. I'm almost sorry to leave you here, _almost_." He laughed again and walked to the window, hopping over the balcony railing and disappearing into the forest outside the palace gates. Hikaru's eyes filled with tears and she curled into herself further, shivering in fear, and cold. She felt dead… she stared out the window at the moon-lightened sky, a tear rolling down her cheek. She sobbed quietly, her voice breaking and hid her face in her pillow. Slowly, she cried herself to sleep.

She'd been broken…

).(

He sighed in relief as the castle came into view, a smile in his eyes. He walked through the front door and was met by chaos. The servants were running around, wide-eyed and frightened, Ryuu was nowhere to be seen, and, even over the echoes of the servants' worried cries, he heard the sound of tortured screaming. He froze. _Hikaru_!

He raced down the hall toward her room, leaping over servants and barreling over anything that didn't move out of his way. He came to an abrupt stop in front of Hikaru's door, meeting Ryuu's wide, fearful eyes. With one look he understood. Hikaru was having another fit…

"W-We can't get the door to open master, sh-she has it locked-" Ryuu's voice was stiff with worry, his eyes on the door. The Master snarled and shoved a heavy paw through the thin rice-paper and bamboo wood-work of the door. He shoved it open and pushed his way through the opening into the room. He froze for a moment, the sight that met him shocking him into frozen silence.

Her back was arched, a pair of large, pitch black, blood-covered feathered wings sprouting from her back and splaying across the bed. Her arms were crossed across each other, her claws dug deep into the pale skin. Her cheeks were stained with bloody tear-tracks, her mouth open in a terrified, pain-filled scream. He broke free of his shock and moved to her side, freezing once more when he realized _what_ she was screaming…

"_P-Please- don't make m-me hurt him-_! _I-I w-won't do it-_!" she dug her claws deeper into her arms and snarled weakly, a sob breaking through. He leaned over her, about to touch her arm with his muzzle in an attempt to calm her down, when a new smell hit his nose. He stiffened and bit back a snarl. Her kimono was torn from the bottom hem all the way up to her stomach, her left leg and hip exposed, and stained with blood. He snarled angrily and took a deep breath. He had to calm her down and wake her up.

He needed to _focus_…

).(

She stared into darkness for only a moment,when it burst into bright, almost painful, colors. She was standing in front of her home… staring at the flames, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around, staring into deep, golden eyes. She knew those eyes… she reached out and touched his cheek lightly, almost afraid he would disappear. He started to smile, then his smile disappeared and he backed away from her, looking disgusted.

Her heart froze and she felt a familiar pain shoot through her body. Her back arched and her wings tore their way through her shoulders, throwing blood across the scorched ground. She felt her fangs growing, her claws lengthening. A scream of pain broke free from her throat and she pressed her hands to her head, lurching forward and screaming in pain again. Her wings flared, throwing more blood across the ground. She shuddered and collapsed to her knees, her eyes changing from emerald green to ice blue. She looked up at him, from the same familiar haze from when she was a child. She stared at him, flexing her claws. She felt herself smirk and heard Kurai's voice in her ear.

"_I'm going to take away all that you've ever loved… you _will_ fear me, if I have to break you to ensure it_."

Her heart stopped. She forced her way forward in her mind and shoved Kurai aside. A blood-curdling scream cut through the crackle of the fire around her.

"_NO_!"

).(

Hikaru's arms shifted just slightly and he nuzzled his nose between her arms and chest and waited. She whimpered weakly, trying to pull away from him at first, then nuzzling into the warmth of his fur, still sobbing quietly. Her eyes fluttered open, grew wide and her arms dropped from around his muzzle. She pressed herself back against the wall behind her bed and stared up at him in fright. He leaned toward her slowly and nuzzled her cheek, wiping a tear away gently. She stiffened and started to pull away, then buried her face in his neck fur and cried quietly against his skin. He wrapped his head around her back and waited for her to calm down again.

"Who touched you…?" his voice was a soft growl, but she stiffened, realizing what he meant. Her eyes filled with tears again and she looked away from him, folding her bloody, bruised arms on her lap. Tears rolled down her cheeks once more and she shook her head, pulling her knees to her chest and wincing. He snarled softly and pushed his nose under her chin making her look him in the eye. "_who touched you Hikaru_?" he growled out between his teeth, struggling to keep calm. She stared at him wide eyed for a moment then her eyes shifted down and she bit her lip.

What could she tell him…?

).(

Good God I'm twisted… what is wrong with me? Oh wait… now I remember… (evil grin) so? What do you think? I know… I'm a bitch. :D

Sesshomaru: What the hell was that? That made absolutely no sense! Why would I even care-

Don't you start dog man! I will bring Hikaru into this!

Sesshomaru: that doesn't work on me anymore. (smirk)

Oh really…? Hey Hikaru!

Hikaru: (magically appears) Sesshomaru-Sama… are you being mean again? (frowns)

Sesshomaru: (twitch) damn you woman!


	17. Fire and Frost

Chapter Fifteen

Fire and Frost

"_Who touched you Hikaru_?" he growled out, his jaw clenched, struggling to keep calm. She stared at him wide eyed for a moment before her gaze shifted down and she bit her lip. Her eyes slid closed slowly and she took a deep, shaky breath. She couldn't lie to him… he would find out eventually anyway… she felt so ashamed…

"I-..It's not… th-the first time… i-it's alright…" she mumbled softly, her eyes staying closed, to avoid looking at him. He snarled and turned his head away from her. Her chin dropped and her eyes flew open in surprise. She looked at him with a frown. He turned back to her, rage flaring in his golden eyes and she flinched.

"_tell me who touched you._" It was an order. Her ears flattened against her head.

"I-..I'm used to it, really it's fine. You don't have to worr-" she was cut off by a sharp growl. Her eyes filled with tears and she turned her head away. "He… he said he'd hurt Ren if I d-didn't…. h-he swore…he'd never come back…" her voice trembled. Something inside him snapped and his eyes narrowed. He turned and darted out the window, his nose flaring. If she wouldn't tell him, then he'd follow the bastard's scent right to him.

He heard Hikaru calling after him in fear, but he was to angry to pay attention or really care for that matter. He raced through the trees his fangs barred, his eyes blazing. His vision was clouded in red. His mind focused on one thing…

Death…

).(

She stared in horror at the spot where the demon had been standing not two seconds before. She leapt from her bed and raced to the window.

"Stop! Please don't do this m'lord-!" her voice cracked painfully and she winced, putting a hand to her throat. Her eyes filled with pain as she watched the silver fur of her master disappear into the trees. She sank to her knees, clutching the balcony railing with her free hand. Her shoulders trembled. She knew what he was going to do. But that wasn't what was upsetting her. What was scaring her most was that…

She wanted it to happen…

).(

He soon found the owner of the vile scent that had cloaked Hikaru's room. He threw the ugly, disgusting creature to the ground and snarled in his face, making the vile _thing _whimper.

"Wh-what th-the hell-? I-I never did nothing to you demon! Get off me!" the man cried, his voice cracking in terror. The demon snarled louder and cut off the man's next round of protests.

"Not to me…but to Hikaru…." He growled through his teeth, venom dripping from his fangs to the ground, burning holes in the soil near the man's head. The man flinched and cringed away then the demon saw a spark in his eye.

"Ah… so you're the one who bought that little bitch…" He snorted. "No wonder she was so willing to let me take her this time." He laughed out. The demon's eyes flashed. The man froze in fear.

"You're going to _pay _for touching her…" the demon hissed, barely able to focus beyond the unyielding rage. He leaned down; inches from the man's face and growled. The man's eyes went wide. A sharp scream of horror and pain split the sky.

).(

He smirked down at the bloody mass that had once been a man and spat out what blood remained in his mouth, in an attempt to rid himself of the horrid taste. He turned back toward the castle, feeling much less angry then he had before. He'd avenged Hikaru. He'd finally been able to do something for her. He felt satisfied.

He paused by one of the castle ponds, leaned down and dipped his blood stained muzzle into the water, cleaning his fur successfully, before turning to walk inside. He was met by Ryuu who frowned up at him, an eyebrow raised.

"You know, acting that rashly could have negative effects on your relationship with Lady Hikaru." His voice held a slight tone of worry to it. The demon frowned and began to speak but stopped when Ryuu smiled at him. "At least you made that bastard pay." The demon sighed and shook his head at Ryuu.

"You humans are so odd." He mumbled, glancing down the hall toward Hikaru's room. He knew she'd be upset with him, and he figured she wouldn't want to see him yet. He sighed and turned to go to his chambers, his ears drooping slightly. He'd done something to help Hikaru, but he'd more then likely also managed to make her hate him. He felt an odd pang in his chest at the thought…

He didn't want her to hate him…

).(

She waited, sitting on her bed facing the window, for three hours. He didn't come back. She'd heard him return home, and speak to someone in the hall, and then everything had gone quiet… he didn't come to her room. She ran a hand through her bangs and bit her lip. Maybe he was angry at her for believing what the trader had said… maybe he hated her for allowing herself to be… she couldn't bring herself to think the word. She shook her head. No. if he'd hated her for that, he wouldn't have gone after the man who'd hurt her. She stood and, after a moment of sharp, agonizing, pain, she frowned determinedly. If he wouldn't come to see her, then she'd go to see him. If he did hate her, she'd apologize, and leave. She wouldn't cause him any more grief or pain.

She couldn't do that to him…

).(

He stared dully at the wall, sighing heavily for the fiftieth time in the last ten minutes. His ears twitched when he heard a quiet knock on the door. He sighed again and glanced over.

"You may enter…" he said tiredly. The door opened and the familiar scent of spices and cat fur hit his nose, making his cheeks burn lightly under his silver fur. Hikaru fidgeted nervously in the doorway, biting her lip and tugging lightly on her left ear with one hand. Why was she so nervous…?

"U-Um… m-m'lord…?" she mumbled softly, glancing up at him nervously and tugging harder on her ear. He hid the smile that threatened to spread across his face. She looked so, for lack of a better word, cute when she was nervous.

"Yes, Hikaru?" he asked carefully, a bit surprised she came to see him. He paused for a moment then sighed. "Please, come in and take a seat." He said kindly, hoping she'd agree and that she wasn't so angry with him that she would refuse. She blushed and nodded slightly, stumbling into the room. The look of pain that flashed across her face when she moved forward did not escape the demon's eye. He bit back a growl. She glanced around, and after failing to find a chair that was in once piece, proceeded to sit down near the demon's forepaws.

They sat for a long moment, surrounded by an awkward silence. Hikaru's ears would droop and perk up on occasion, her expression thoughtful as she struggled to think of something to say to break the silence. Then her hand was on his paw. He stiffened slightly and stared at her. Her green eyes were full of concern and… was that… fear? He frowned.

"Hikaru…?" he became even more confused when her cheeks flushed with color at the sound of her name. She looked down and lightly stroked his paw with her fingertips. A slight shudder ran up his spine at the feeling.

"I-..I um… w-wanted to… to thank you, for…" she mumbled, still stroking his paw, lightly playing with the fur. He watched her, enjoying the feeling of her hand running through his fur. She blushed darker and bit her lip.

"Thank me for what…?" he pressed gently, surprising himself with the light caress his voice held. She ducked her head in embarrassment.

"N-No one's ever… done what you did for me I…" she growled softly at herself. Why couldn't she speak to him? All she was doing was thanking him. All he had to say was 'thank you for avenging me.' but no. she couldn't even thank him right. She whimpered angrily at herself. The demon nudged her gently with his nose in concern and frowned at her.

"Hikaru…?" was she still in pain..? That small part of his mind, the very annoying part that had been screaming at him in joy every time Hikaru paid the slightest bit of attention to him, snarled at the thought.

"Th…Thank you…f-for…a-avenging me l-like you did," she mumbled quickly, blushing crimson under her bangs. "N-no one's ever c-cared enough about m-me to…to do that." She pulled her hand away from his paw and began fiddling with the end of her braid. The demon stared at her in confusion. He'd thought she'd be angry with him, for killing someone. But… here she was, thanking him…?

"You're not angry with me?" he asked incredulously before he could stop himself. Hikaru blinked in surprise, and then started giggling. She shook her head lightly at him, still giggling softly, her eyes sparkling in a way he'd never seen before. Then she frowned and tried to look angry, failing horribly.

"That's right, I'm supposed to be angry at you." She reached over and batted his paw lightly with her hand. Unable to keep it hidden any longer, her smile spread across her face once more. The demon's eyes widened slightly in surprise, she was teasing him? Then a smirk spread across his face and he pushed her over lightly with his nose and, being careful not to hurt her, pinned her down. She squeaked in surprise and giggled. "st-stop that t-tickles-!" she cried, still laughing. The demon chuckled.

"Never!" he cried, tickling her again. She pushed against his muzzle and rolled out from under him, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck, pushing him over. "whoa-!" he laughed, rolling onto his back and pulling Hikaru onto his stomach. She half cried out in surprise, then laughed, her physical pain momentarily forgotten. She leaned down and started rubbing his chest fur, in an attempt to tickle him back. He started squirming. "that's not fair you have hands!" he whined between cut off bursts of laughter. Hikaru giggled and kept tickling him.

They both froze when an embarrassed cough sounded from the door way. They both looked up to see Ryuu standing there, his eyes averted to the floor. Hikaru blushed crimson and jumped off the demon's stomach, tugging at her braid in embarrassment. Ryuu coughed again. The demon rolled to his feet with an annoyed sigh.

"Yes Ryuu?" he asked, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice, and failing slightly. Ryuu glanced up.

"Forgive me for interrupting I just came to see if you needed anything master." Ryuu's head ducked again, he bowed quickly. "I'll just come back when you aren't busy. Forgive me." He backed out of the room quickly, pulling the doors shut behind him. There was a long moment of awkward silence. The demon cleared his throat and glanced at Hikaru out of the corner of his eye.

"Are… are you alright Hikaru?" he asked softly. She nodded, blushing darker. He frowned, and then sighed. "Would you like me to escort you back to your room? It's late." He didn't want her to leave… he wanted her to stay. He wanted to spend more time with her, to make her laugh… make her forget her pain. She smiled at him almost shyly and shook her head.

"N-No… um… i-if you don't mind, could I just, stay here for tonight..?" she blushed again, and he smiled widely.

"Of course you can Hikaru… though," he glanced around her at what remained of the bed. "You may have trouble finding a comfortable place to lay your head…" now it was his turn to be embarrassed. Hikaru smiled brightly at him.

"I have an idea." She said brightly.

).(

Ryuu poked his head into the master's room quietly. He smiled as he watched Hikaru snuggle close to the demon, her head resting on his right forepaw, his head wrapped around her shoulder and resting lightly on her stomach.

"Sleep well you two…" he muttered quietly before shutting the door. Through a crack in the window a thin sliver of moonlight shone on the two sleeping faces, both lit with a smile.

).(


	18. Lizards and Laughs

Chapter Sixteen

Laughs and Lizards

).(

Wow… Sixteen chapters already… (Amazed wide eyes) I'm so happy! (Bounces) ….(frowns) wait… that means there's only four more chapters left… (cries) I don't want it to e-end!

Disclaimer: everyone else does! (Exasperated sigh)

Sesshomaru: (appears beside distraught author) idiot. Stop your sniveling. _I _cannot wait for this story to end.

(Glares at Sesshy then grins evil-y) don't worry! You and Hikaru will be back for more adventures after this one's done!

Sesshomaru:… that's what I was afraid of… (cringe)

).(

"Shh! Look… they're still asleep."

"Aren't they just adorable…?" both women giggled quietly, their faces pressed to a crack in the door to the Master's chambers, watching their lord and master, and their new friend sleeping soundly, snuggled close and smiling.

"What are you two doing here…? Didn't I say this corridor was off limits until they were both awake?" Ryuu hissed, pulling both giggling girls away and pulling the door shut quietly. "Let them have their time alone."

).(

He yawned and stretched slightly, his eyes still closed. He'd slept through the night for the first time since he could remember. Having _her _right there next to him made him relax so much he'd just fallen asleep without realizing it. He'd planned on staying up to make sure she didn't have any more nightmares. He still didn't understand why she'd looked so afraid when she'd woken up before…

He sighed and stretched again, thumping his tail lightly on the ground. His eyes slid open slowly and he froze. He couldn't feel that comforting weight between his paws… he didn't feel the warmth that had been there when he'd fallen asleep. He looked down and frowned when he realized she wasn't lying where she had been. She was gone. His heart sank. She'd left without waking him…telling him she was going. Maybe she'd just been trying to apologize the night before… make him feel better. He shook his head. She wouldn't do something like that… she wouldn't lead someone on just so she wouldn't feel guilty. Then where had she gone?

The door to his room opened and the room filled with the delicious scent of food. He twisted his head around and smiled when his eyes met very familiar, warm, emerald. Hikaru set the breakfast tray down by his paws and knelt beside him resting her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes. He looked down at the tray, his eyes widening when he realized what was on it. He looked back at Hikaru questioningly and she blushed, shifting her head down to hide it.

"I-I asked…Ryuu what your favorites were…s-so I could surprise you…" she mumbled, playing with the end of her braid. He smiled and nuzzled her cheek lightly before leaning down and carefully eating the breakfast she'd brought him. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she smiled at him, her cheeks still flushed a light shade of pink. He finished and sighed, turning to smile at her.

"I haven't had food that good in a long time….thank you." He closed his eyes happily, giving Hikaru time to blush as darkly as she wanted without feeling the need to hide. He chuckled when he opened his eyes and found her chewing on her lip and looking extremely embarrassed. She looked up and met his eyes, blushing darker and looking down again.

"I-I'm glad you liked it…" she mumbled quietly, wishing with all her heart she hadn't figured out where her feelings for him truly lay. She couldn't ever tell him… he didn't return her feelings, and she prayed he never would. She had to be able to push away if she needed to. She didn't want to hurt him in any way.

"Hikaru…?" the demon called again, worry filling his eyes now. He'd called her name three times and she wasn't answering. Had he made her angry again…? "Hikaru?" he tried again. she jumped and looked up at him wide eyed.

"Y-yes?" she asked, her voice squeaking slightly in surprise. She flinched and blinked frowning at herself. He chuckled.

"Are you alright? You weren't answering me." He smiled lightly when she blushed and nodded quickly. She wasn't angry at him…

"I-I'm fine I just… spaced out for a moment. Forgive me." She blushed darker and sighed. She wanted to be able to be more relaxed around him…but if she relaxed then there was the chance that she'd slip and tell him what her heart was begging her to say. He smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I'm glad, you had me worried for a moment." He said softly, wrapping his neck around her waist lightly in an awkward half hug. She forced herself not to blush and smiled back, leaning into him slightly and enjoying the moment while she could.

"sorry." She mumbled, not wanting the moment to end. He rested there, his neck around her, his chin resting lightly on her lap, his shoulder holding her up, longer than was necessary, but he didn't want to move if he didn't have to. She wasn't showing any signs that she wanted him to stop, and as long as she wasn't protesting, he wasn't moving.

She let her eyes slide closed, letting the warmth from his skin seep into her own. She could feel his heart beat faintly against her shoulder. It made her shiver in delight when she realized their heartbeats were in sync. She nuzzled into his silvery chest fur and smiled. She sighed happily then began to choke on the long silken fur as she breathed back in.

The demon stiffened and pulled back to look at her in wide-eyed concern. She tried to smile but was still coughing and trying to breathe properly again. Once she'd caught her breath, they both stared at each other for a moment. Both were thinking the same thing; they hadn't wanted to move…

"Are… Are you alright, Hikaru?" he asked softly; worry still shining in his golden eyes. She blushed and nodded, realizing for the first time, that he was constantly using her name… almost every time he spoke to her, he said her name. She blushed lightly and started giggling. She was being stupid. He probably felt it was the best way to keep her attention or something. Still, a traitorous thought came to her, the _way_ he said her name gave her chills. She loved hearing him say her name… she started laughing again. She was being so stupid!

He chuckled, watching her laugh at herself, and the situation. It was… sort of funny and her laughter was contagious. Once he started laughing, she began to laugh harder. Soon they were both on their sides, laughing loudly. They didn't know what was so funny, but laughing felt so good that neither wanted to stop.

After a while Hikaru began to feel light headed and had to stop laughing for fear of fainting. The demon chuckled lightly at her, realizing with a slight start, that he loved her laugh. They smiled at each other, enjoying the warm feeling of happiness and bliss that filled the room around them.

Hikaru glanced away for a moment, fearing her eyes would give her feelings away and winced. Sunlight was shining through a crack in the curtains and right onto her face. She put her hand up and moved over to pull the curtains all the way shut, then paused and pushed them open further. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the light and then she gasped. The snow had finally melted. It was beautiful, everything was green… the demon moved up behind her to see and she smiled.

"Why don't we go enjoy the nice weather outside?" she asked, her cheeks flushing pink again. The demon blinked at her for a moment then nodded, looking almost disappointed. She frowned lightly and bit her lip.

"I'll alert the servants and have them… meet… us… Why are you laughing at me?" Hikaru giggled again and put a hand on his cheek.

"I meant just us, silly." She chuckled lightly and shook her head. He felt a rush of happiness and his cheeks burned slightly under his fur.

"Oh, I see." He chuckled and pushed his nose under her legs, lifting her up onto his back. She squawked awkwardly in surprise and threw her arms around his neck to hold on, just barely hiding a slight wince of pain. He shivered, enjoying the feeling of her arms around him and pushed the window open with his nose. "I know just where to go." He said, smiling.

).(

The demon chuckled as Hikaru's tail started twitching impatiently. They'd been walking for a while, though the demon had only been taking her in tightly knit circles to throw her sense of direction off. Finally he slowed to a stop and twisted his head back to look at her.

"Close your eyes, and don't peek, alright?" laughter shone in his eyes and Hikaru blushed lightly, nodding. Her eyes slid closed and she pressed her face into the side of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.

"A-Alright…" she mumbled softly. He smiled and turned forward again, pushing his way through the trees. He came to a stop once more after a moment and lay down.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now." He said, almost breathlessly. Hikaru lifted her head and opened her eyes slowly, gasping in awe at what she saw before her as she slid from the demon's back.

They were in a large, grassy clearing, surrounded tightly by a wall of trees on all sides. Flowers, shrubs and other larger plants were spread out perfectly to create the appearance of a natural garden. A small stream, still edged in a thin layer of ice, cascaded lightly into several small waterfalls as it twisted and curved its way across the southern and eastern sides of the clearing and flowed into a small, but deep, pond near the south-western corner. Nestled near a bend in the stream, a few feet from the pond, was a small Sakura tree, shading a large flat stone. Above them the sky was bright, a beautiful bird's-egg-blue, speckled lightly with clouds.

Hikaru turned, trying to take in everything at once. Her eyes were wide in wonder, her mouth open slightly in awe. She turned back to the demon, still in a slight daze at what he'd shown her.

"I-it's so…beautiful…" she said softly, still looking around in amazement. The demon smiled and nodded, tilting his head up to look at the sky.

"I come here when I need time alone, to think. The servants don't know about it, it's perfectly secluded." He sighed happily and closed his eyes, basking in the sun's warmth. Hikaru watched him, her heart flooding with warmth. He'd brought her to his special place. He trusted her enough to keep his secret. She walked over and sat down, leaning lightly against his side and closing her eyes, basking in the sun, just like _her_ demon. He turned his head to look at her and smiled, twisting to rest his cheek against hers. And that's how they sat, for a long while, just basking in the sun and one another's presence. The birds sang around them, the stream laughed lightly, a soft breeze blew in the distance, making the leaves on the trees sing and dance. Everything was so peaceful… so perfect.

After a while Hikaru grew stiff and had to sit up, popping her back loudly. The demon chuckled and stretched, his shoulders and back popping in unison. Hikaru laughed and shook her head at him. He chuckled again and rolled onto his back stretching his legs up. Hikaru giggled as she watched him. He turned his head to look at her and tilted his head sideways, frowning.

"What's so funny?" he asked gruffly. Hikaru giggled again and shook her head.

"I'm just, really happy to be here." She said, laughter coloring her voice. He blinked and smiled rolling back onto his paws. His tail wagged slightly at the thought of making Hikaru happy. He didn't know why, but her being happy, about being with him, in this place, made him feel… excited. Almost, giddy…

"H-hey-!" Hikaru cried out in surprise as the demon scooped her up with his nose once again. He twisted his head sharply and tossed her lightly into the pond, smirking as she came up gasping. "C-Cold-!" she turned and glowered at the demon. "Oooooh… you're gonna get it now!" she leapt out of the water and chased him around the clearing, both of them laughing. As he raced around the side of the pond to escape, she dove and shoved his side, throwing them both into the water. They laughed harder and began throwing water at each other.

).(

Slowly they both crawled out of the pond, still chuckling lightly. Hikaru flopped over on the bank, squealing in protest as the Demon shook the rest of the water from his fur. She sighed quietly, laughing lightly as she stretched her arms over her head and let them fall to her sides limply.

"I can't believe you threw a fish at me." She said, rolling on her stomach to look at the demon. He chuckled and sat up, shaking himself dry.

"I only threw the fish at you because you threw that clump of algae at me. It's simple retaliation." He flopped down onto his belly and rested his chin on his front paws, looking directly at Hikaru. She blushed and glared playfully.

"So you say, but retaliation doesn't involve shoving a second fish down the front of my kimono. Now does it?" both of them laughed again. A light breeze blew across the clearing, making Hikaru shiver slightly. The air still held winter's chill. The demon frowned slightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern. Hikaru nodded and smiled lightly.

"J-Just a bit cold now… that's all." She said softly, blushing. "Um… mind if… if I come sit by you?" she bit her lip nervously. The demon blinked and smiled.

"Of course you can." He shifted slightly so she could lean against his side and smiled at her. She moved over and curled up against his damp fur and smiled, shivering lightly. He frowned and shook his head. "Those wet clothes are going to get you sick…" he said worriedly. Hikaru blinked and blushed looking down at her sopping wet kimono and sighed.

"Oh, right." She chuckled and stood up, untying her obi and moving to drape it over a nearby tree branch. She pulled off her outer kimono next and hung it up beside her obi. The demon's cheeks burned and he turned his head away. He heard water dripping rapidly, and focused on the sound. He jumped slightly when Hikaru leaned back against his side and curled up against him. She was still wearing her white under kimono, but it was only slightly damp now. He wrapped his neck around her and rested his chin across her lap. She lightly stroked his ears, her eyes closed.

Their silent bliss was shattered when Hikaru leapt to her feet shrieking loudly. A small green… thing, fell out the bottom of her kimono, landing on the grass with a light thud. Hikaru stepped back and smiled softly.

"Oh… it's just a little lizard." She said kneeling down to scoop the tiny creature up. She glanced up to show the demon and frowned. "Where did…? Master?" she looked around. He was gone…

There was a loud crack and the demon fell out of a large oak and onto the ground with a crash. Hikaru winced and looked over at him worriedly. "Are you alright?" she asked, then paused, frowning in confusion. "Wait… what were you doing in a tree…?" she moved toward him and he stiffened.

"Don't. Come. Near me…" he half growled, his eyes wide in… was that fear? Hikaru's frown deepened.

"What's wrong master?" she asked softly, the lizard still clutched lightly in her hands. The demon shook his head, eyeing the little green thing warily.

"Just… Keep that _thing_ away from me…" he muttered. Hikaru blinked, looked down at the lizard and stared.

"You're afraid…of a lizard?" she asked, slightly surprised. The demon looked away and muttered something she didn't catch. She sighed. "Why are you afraid of a tiny little lizard…?" she asked softly.

"I… tried to catch one as a child and… its tail fell off and was still wriggling around…and it ran away." He muttered. Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"The tail ran away?" she hoped the small joke would cheer him up. It didn't. He growled at her.

"No. the _lizard_ ran away. Without its tail…" he said, shuddering. Hikaru blinked and giggled softly. He glared. "What's so funny?" he hissed. Hikaru giggled again as she moved closer to him. He flinched.

"The lizard was just trying to escape. Its tail is meant to fall off, to distract predators from catching it. See?" she held her hand out, the lizard resting in the center of her palm, and she lightly pinched her thumb and forefinger of her free hand around the base of the lizard's tail. The tiny green creature jumped and toppled from her hand, its twitching tail still resting in her palm. The demon leaned forward cautiously and stared in slight disgust at the wriggling, scaly, green thing. "It's just nerves." Hikaru said, holding the tail up for him to see. "It stops moving after, ah…see? There." The tail had stopped twitching. The demon blinked. It wasn't… alive? He frowned.

"It does that to defend itself?" he asked, feeling stupid. Hikaru nodded and smiled. "Oh…"

"There's nothing to be scared of. Promise." She said gently. He smiled. She wasn't making fun of him. She understood. He walked over and sat down beside her once more. Hikaru tilted her hand and the lifeless tail fell to the ground and was forgotten.

).(

I know, I know, Sesshomaru wouldn't be afraid of a tiny pathetic little lizard, but I needed him to be for cuteness! I mean, come on… you have to admit this is cute, right? Right? … Er… please don't kill me? (runs away)

Disclaimer: I warned her not to do the lizard thing… I really did… (Shakes head) honestly… review? Please?


	19. Medicine and Mourning

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: you all know the drill; I don't own Sesshomaru, or anything that has anything to do with the Anime/Manga Series "Inuyasha".

Wow… ok then… so! Only three chapters to go! Let's hope you like the way this ends hmn? (Evil smirk) Hope everyone had a great Christmas! (or whatever holiday you may celebrate) Mine was good, though I did catch the flu right after our family finished up with Christmas… yup… was sick for a week! Got better just in time to enjoy ringing in the New Year with my best friend and some of her family! it was awesome! Love you girl! (You know who you are) :D

).(

Chapter Seventeen

Medicine and Mourning

Ryuu frowned at Mei, who was looking at him in concern.

"I-I don't know what else to do Master Ryuu… we need Lady Hikaru… _now_…"

"I don't know where the master has taken her Mei… we just have to wait until she returns…" he sighed heavily, looking at the poor figure in the bed. "And pray that it's soon..."

).(

"So your parents met through demon slayers…?" the demon looked at Hikaru in confusion. Hikaru giggled and nodded.

"The village where my father grew up was having demon problems. The demon said it would only leave if my mother came and told it to leave, so Mother came to meet with the demon, but the village leader didn't trust mother so he hired a band of demon slayers to take care of her after the other demon was gone… mother handled the demon problem, and saved my father's life in the process. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen."

Hikaru smiled, blushing. "Of course the demon slayers thought she was going to hurt him so they attacked her. My mother grew angry that the village leader betrayed her and fled back home. My father followed her and waited outside her gate until she came out to meet him… he never left her side after that…" she stared up at the sky, her eyes distant and her cheeks flushed lightly. "Mother used to tell me she wanted me to find someone like my father…" she looked down and sighed. "But I barely remember him…" the demon looked at her, hiding a look of pain.

"I'm sure you're a lot like him. Aren't you?" he asked, remembering the ghost of Lady Sakura. The only similarities between the famed demoness and her daughter were their green eyes and pale skin. Hikaru looked up at him and smiled sadly.

"I look like him. Yes… I really don't know if I'm like either of them in personality or spirit…" she shrugged. "But then… I suppose it doesn't matter… as long as I never completely forget them… keep them here…" she placed a hand over her heart. "I don't think it will make a difference… do you?" she looked up at him questioningly. He smiled and nuzzled her cheek lightly.

"I think they're proud of you, for the person you are." Hikaru blushed, tears in her eyes. She hugged his neck lightly hiding her face in his chest fur. He smiled. "And I think, maybe, they'd be even more proud if you'd let yourself be happier." He hinted his voice growing stern. He felt her flinch and she pulled away, drying her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I-I'm sorry… I just… any time I allow myself to become too comfortable… too happy… Kurai destroys it. She's killed so many people I care about… I just… I'm…" she balled her hands into fists and glared at the ground. "I'm tired of it… but I'm not strong enough to fight her… she knows my weaknesses…" she met the demon's eyes and gripped a bit of his fur in her hand, that same hand trembling in fear. The demon growled softly.

"I hate that you're so afraid of her… and that there's nothing I can do…" he gritted his teeth, digging his claws into the dirt. Hikaru's eyes softened and she leaned forward, kissing his muzzle lightly. He stiffened, his cheeks burning under his silver fur. She smiled at him.

"Thank you… so much…" she rested her head against his cheek, closing her eyes. He smiled and pressed closer to her, draping his tail over her lap. Hikaru sighed happily, nuzzling into the warm fur. "They would have loved you…" she said quietly. The demon blushed and glanced down at her out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to move. She still had her eyes closed. "Especially Father…" The demon smiled to himself.

"I doubt it, what father would want his daughter spending time with an over sized Dog?" he asked playfully. She sat up and glared at him. He blinked in surprise, caught off guard by her anger.

"You're not an oversized dog. You're my master and my friend. And my father would rather I spend my time with true friends then with petty suitors." She put her hand over his paw once more. "I would rather spend my time with you." She looked him in the eye earnestly, making the poor demon blush crimson under his fur all over again. He looked away.

"I was only teasing Hikaru…" he mumbled awkwardly. She sighed and rested her forehead against his cheek.

"Never put yourself down like that… ever… please?" he sighed and nodded lightly, moving his cheek to lift her head.

"For you." He promised, pressing the end of his nose against her forehead. She blushed and ducked her head to hide it, but he saw. He smiled to himself. He opened his mouth, to say something to her, when her stomach growled loudly. He blinked and she blushed crimson. He laughed lightly, then stopped when his own stomach rumbled, shaking the ground beneath them. Hikaru smiled and started laughing, trying to stifle it with her hands. He grinned at her. "I suppose that means its lunch time." She laughed and nodded sighing.

"But then that means we have to go back…" she mumbled, looking disappointed. He chuckled and nuzzled her cheek making her blush again.

"So we'll come back after we've eaten and you've checked on the boy." Hikaru smiled and nodded.

"Alright." She stood and went to grab her kimono and obi, oblivious to the fact that the demon was watching her walk away with an unreadable expression on his face. She pulled the kimono back on, shivering when the still damp material touched her skin, and tied her obi. "Oh… that's c-cold…" she mumbled, shivering again. She turned and walked back to his side, smiling at him.

"Walk or ride?" he asked softly. Hikaru gently slipped her hand into his shoulder fur and smiled softly at him.

"I'll walk this time. I promise to close my eyes." She chuckled. He nudged her playfully and stood.

"I only had you close your eyes to surprise you. This is just as much your secret paradise as it is mine now. You have the right to know the way." he turned and walked out of the clearing, Hikaru walking along side him, her hand still tangled lightly in his fur.

).(

When they reached the castle, they were greeted with a loud commotion. Ryuu came rushing out and stopped short, just in front of Hikaru.

"M'lady thank the Gods you have returned… it's the boy…" he was given no chance to continue, Hikaru and the master both disappeared inside, rushing toward Ren's room.

Hikaru leaned over the bed, touching Ren's forehead lightly with the back of her hand. The small boy was pale as a ghost, his breathing was ragged and he was covered in a cold sweat. His whole body shook violently and every once in a while his breathing was cut short by a harsh, wet cough. Hikaru turned to look at the demon fearfully.

"H…he's relapsing…" the demon stiffened and looked at the small boy in concern. Even though he was a human… he'd won the demon over.

"What can we do to save him?" he asked, watching Hikaru as she fussed over the boy for a moment. She looked up at him sadly.

"I…I have to go get him more medicine…" she said quietly. He closed his eyes for a moment. He'd been hoping there was another option, but knew there wasn't. He opened his eyes and nudged her toward the door.

"Then you have to hurry. We'll take care of Ren, you go get what we need to save him." he said hurriedly, continuing to push her out the door with his nose. She turned, hugged his muzzle and rushed off the grounds, spreading her wings and taking off toward the village, flying faster then she'd ever flown before.

The demon watched her until she disappeared from sight, then turned back to the weak child in the bed, laying down and resting his muzzle across the tiny lap.

"Hold on Ren…"

).(

The wind whipped angrily at her face as she rocketed over the treetops. Her braid snapped out behind her like a bullwhip as she narrowed her eyes against the wind. "Please hold on Ren… I'm coming…" she prayed, fearful tears threatening to fill her eyes. She shook them away, fighting to stay calm. "I have to keep my head…. Come on Hikaru. Focus. Ren needs you." She growled at herself, forcing her wings to push her on faster.

When the village finally came into view, she dove straight down, landing hard and nearly falling onto her back, just outside the apothecary. She caught her balance and darted inside, nearly crashing into the three people ahead of her in line. She nearly cried right there, but bit her lip and forced the tears away. She'd just have to fly home twice as fast as she'd come… but her wings were already aching from the strain and she didn't know how fast she could fly.

After what seemed like an hour she finally reached the counter. The young man who'd helped her before smiled at her when he recognized her.

"Hello M'lady." He said politely. She smiled at him hurriedly, her eyes full of fear.

"Please… the same herbs you gave me before... M…my son he's had a relapse, I-I'm afraid he's dying…" her voice broke, the fear of what she'd said hitting her like a ton of bricks. She fought back tears as the boy nodded, his eyes going wide, and disappeared into the back room. He came back out two seconds later, pressing the herbs and bottles of medicine into her trembling hands. "Thank you… so much." She cried over her shoulder as she darted out the door.

She was hit hard from both sides as she came out of the apothecary. She twisted her head to see who was holding her and started.

"T-Taki…? Karada…? Wh...What are you two doing? Let me go!" she strained against them wearily, her arms aching as much as her wings. Kaji stepped in front of her, his eyes narrowed.

"Hold her men… we can't let her interfere." Hikaru stared at her old friend, wide-eyed.

"K…Kaji? You have to let me go! Ren's dying I have to-!" Kaji's expression cut her off. She stared at him in horror, the tears she'd fought so hard to hold back, streaming down her cheeks. "Let me go Kaji… please…" she begged. The men holding her flinched. She sounded so desperate. They almost let her go, but a sharp glare from Kaji made them abandon their plan. They gave Hikaru apologetic stares as they dragged her away from Kaji and his small band of followers. When she realized they were taking her away she began to struggle, and fight, putting all her strength into trying to escape. It was all they could do to keep a hold of the young demoness.

"Miss Hikaru _please_!" Karada cried, wincing when Hikaru's left wing clipped him across the forehead. His pleading only made her fight harder. She shot a glare at the both of them, tears burning tracks down her cheeks.

"If he dies…" she hissed, her voice hard and cold, making the two men flinch. They tightened their hold on her arms and dragged the poor, struggling neko into an old abandoned hut.

).(

He paced anxiously. Hikaru should have returned by now. Mei had found one last dose's worth of medicine and had given it to Ren, it had stabilized him, but it would be wearing off soon and his condition would worsen. Ryuu stood by the front door, waiting with a teapot full of boiling water, ready for her return.

Little did they know they waited in vain…

).(

"Let me out of here! Kaji! Karada! Taki! Michiko! Anyone, please!" her voice was horse from screaming. Her hands were bloody and bruised from pounding on the door. She'd been shut into a small closet, the door bolted and barricaded against her. She was trapped. And Ren was dying… she attacked the door with her shoulder, screaming in anger. Then she heard footsteps. She froze, her breathing ragged and harsh.

"Don't worry Hikaru. We'll save Ren. We'll save you both from that place…" it was Kaji… she pounded her fists against the door angrily.

"You don't know what you're saying Kaji! My master isn't forcing me to stay! Let me out! You're _killing _Ren!" she waited in silence, listening. There was a pause, then Kaji's footsteps moving away. She screamed again and began her assault on the door anew.

She had to get out…

).(

And that, dear readers, is the end of chapter seventeen. Please review and I'll hopefully have chapter eighteen up soon! No promises though (nervous chuckle)


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